04 13a The Journey Continues
by NewDrWhoFan
Summary: Filler-inners for "The Journey's End" and, of course, beyond! Building a fantastic life in Pete's World.
1. Regenerated Anomaly

I know I've sort of skipped over Series 3 and 4 to write this, but if I ever get around to it, this'll be part of the rest of the series. Blame the plot bunnies--they've got nasty, big, pointy teeth!!

Um, CONTAINS SERIES 4 SPOILERS! If you couldn't tell.

This is written as a far-flung sequel to "Through the Gloom and Doom", and has nothing to do with the AU series I'm writing.

Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I don't own Doctor Who. Nor do I get anything from writing these stories--except wonderful, constructive reviews! Wink, wink; nudge, nudge ;)

--

Chapter 1, Regenerated Anomaly

The new Doctor watched Donna leave the med bay, a smile on her face and a spring in her step. "You're not going to tell her?" he asked the Doctor.

"You know her better than I do," the Doctor answered. "You think she'd believe me?"

The new Doctor thought a moment, then shook his head. "Not until it actually started falling apart."

The Doctor finished putting away the exam instruments. "You should take this," the Doctor said, reaching into his breast pocket.

"Don't you dare," hissed the new Doctor, quietly, as the Doctor pulled out the ring. He swung his legs off the exam table, and stood, facing the Doctor. "You heard her," he said. "You saw her when she thought we were going to regenerate, and even after, when she thought you might have changed."

"How did you--" the Doctor asked.

"Donna," the new Doctor answered, tapping his head. "But I _have_ changed," he continued. "I can feel it. She needs _you_, not whatever Caan made me into."

The Doctor sighed. "It wasn't Caan."

"What wasn't? He looked into time--"

"He saw time, he didn't change it except for influencing Davros. You were made from Donna and me, but you were made _by_ Bad Wolf."

The new Doctor was shocked into momentary silence. "What makes you say that?" he asked, at last.

"When Rose first came back for us," the Doctor explained, "we were going to let the Daleks win, all so that we didn't have to be responsible for genocide, again. But she came back, and _she_ destroyed them all. What did _you_ do, when given the choice?"

The new Doctor was silent, not meeting the Doctor's eyes. All the Daleks--gone. Genocide. But it had to be done, didn't it?

"You've changed, yes," the Doctor continued, "but you're not only what Rose needs, you're what she designed. She may not realize it yet, but she will." The Doctor pressed the ring into the new Doctor's hand. "She created you to do what I couldn't. And I don't just mean with the Daleks."

The new Doctor closed his fist tightly around it, glancing out towards the corridor. He thought of Rose, of how long he'd carried the ring, how often he could have asked her before she'd been lost, of all the reasons he'd hesitated. Now, most of those reasons were a non-issue for him--well, for _this_ him, anyway. He nodded to the Doctor. Then, "You're just going to give her up?"

"You shouldn't even have to ask," the Doctor answered. He took a heavy breath. "I was going to lose her again, eventually," he said, swallowing back the tears they both refused to acknowledge. "Just you don't go leaving her alone," he warned the new Doctor. "This is your only body; you'd better make it last."

"Yeah." The new Doctor tucked the ring into his own jacket pocket. "Pete's world, then," he said.

The Doctor nodded. "She may have left her family for us, but she loves them. Now, she'll have the best of both worlds."

"She's not gonna like it," said the new Doctor. "How do you know she'll even believe I'm me?" Or that she'll want me, he failed to add.

"Like I said," answered the Doctor, "she made you."

"Right." the New Doctor reached out to shake the Doctor's hand, and tried not to think about the irony of the action, considering their hands' respective histories. "I'll take care of her, I promise."

--

To be continued.


	2. Dålig Ulv Stranden

Chapter 2, Dålig Ulv Stranden

The new Doctor followed Jackie out of the TARDIS, onto the eerily familiar beach. Jackie certainly recognized it, if her "Bloody Norway?" was anything to go by. Rose, the other him, and Donna exited behind them.

"I was pregnant, d'you remember?" Jackie asked the new Doctor as they moved a short ways down the beach. "Had a baby boy."

The new Doctor smiled. "Oh, brilliant," he told her. "What did you call him?"

"Doctor," she said.

She looked serious. Was she serious? "Really?" he asked.

"No, you plum; he's called Tony," she told him, laughing.

Alright, he thought, you like me now, so you're going to make fun of me instead of slapping me. Still, he appreciated it.

Rose suddenly commanded his attention, looking back at the Doctor. "Hold on, this is-the parallel universe, right?"

The Doctor told her, "You're back home."

"An' the walls of the void are closin' again, now that the reality bomb never happened," Donna added from beside him. "It's dimensional retro-closure."

The new Doctor couldn't help but smile at her, even though he knew her abilities wouldn't last.

"See," she said to the Doctor, "I really get that stuff, now."

So proud of herself. The smile faltered on the new Doctor's face. Thank you, Donna, he thought. I am sorry.

"No," insisted Rose, "but, I spent all that time tryin' to find you, I'm not goin' back now."

This was the Doctor's chance. He could still back out of his plan, and leave the new Doctor stranded-here, or anywhere-and travel the universe with Rose. Fortunately, for the new Doctor at least, the Doctor seemed to be sticking to his plan.

"But you've got to," the Doctor told Rose. "'Cause we saved the universe, but at a cost. And the cost is him," he said, looking over Rose's shoulder at the new Doctor. "He destroyed the Daleks, he committed genocide," he accused. "He's too dangerous to be left on his own."

Now hold on just a minute! "You made me," the new Doctor heard himself blurt out, angrily. Where was this in the plan? What he did was necessary-it saved the multi-verse! And wasn't he going to leave Rose with him? Way to set him up.

"Exactly," the Doctor told him. "You were born in battle, full of blood, and anger, and revenge." He turned to Rose. "Remind you of someone?" he asked.

Rose looked out at the water.

"That's me," said the Doctor. "When we first met."

A bit harsh, the new Doctor thought to himself. But then, that's what you're trying to be, isn't it? Plus, he couldn't help but notice Rose's reaction when the Doctor said it. Had she really missed the old him that much?

"And you made me better," the Doctor continued when Rose looked back at him. "Now you can do the same for him."

So I'm her pet project?

Rose shook her head, still not even glancing at the new Doctor. "But he's not you," she told the Doctor.

I told you she wouldn't believe it, thought the new Doctor.

"He needs _you_," the Doctor answered her. "That's very me."

Donna chimed in. "But it's better than that, though," she told Rose. "Don't you see what he's tryin' to give you?" Donna looked over at the new Doctor. "Tell 'er, go on," she prompted.

For the first time since they'd arrived, Rose turned to him.

Okay, here goes, he thought, nervously. "I look like him," he began, "I think like him, same memories, same thoughts, same everything. Except, I've only got one heart."

"Which means?" Rose asked.

"I'm part human," he said. "Specifically, the aging part," he added, hoping the major difference between himself and the other him really was what Rose would want. "I'll grow old and never regenerate. I've only got one life, Rose Tyler. I could spend it with you. If you want," he added. It was her choice. The other him might be sure of himself, but this him was giving up on making Rose's decisions for her.

"You'll g-grow old at the same time as me," she said gently, to the new Doctor's relief.

"Together," he told her quietly, mentally begging for her to accept him. His heart leapt as she moved towards him, placing her right hand over his heart.

A groan signaled from the TARDIS. Rose turned back to the Doctor and Donna, the new Doctor immediately missing her touch.

"We gotta go," said the Doctor, lightly. "This reality's sealing itself off. Forever." He turned to leave, and Rose followed after him.

"But-" she called, and the Doctor turned back to her. "It's still not right," she said. "'Cause, the Doctor's s-still you."

I'm not the Doctor, the new Doctor thought. She won't believe it. It's done.

The Doctor nodded towards him. "And I'm him," he told Rose.

"Alright," she said, and looked between the two of him. The new Doctor stepped up to her, so that the Doctor was on her right, he on her left. "Both of you, answer me this." She looked at the Doctor. "When I last stood on this beach, on the worst day of my life, what was the last thing you said to me?" he didn't answer. "Go on, say it," Rose insisted.

"I said 'Rose Tyler'," the Doctor told her.

"Yeah? An' how was that sentence gonna end?" Rose asked.

He could make him or break him with his next words, the new Doctor thought. He _should_ tell her. For her sake. But for his own? Their own?

"Does it need saying?" The Doctor asked.

Rose looked at him, but didn't press him. She turned to the new Doctor. "An' you, Doctor?"

Doctor? he thought. She'd turned away from the old Doctor, and called _him_ Doctor.

"What was the end of that sentence?" she asked.

Thank you, he thought at the old Doctor, then leaned close to Rose's ear, his hand gently on her arm. "I love you," he whispered. "I will forever."

He pulled back enough to look into her eyes. Please, believe I'm me, he begged, silently.

She grabbed him by the lapels of his suit, and pulled him down to her mouth, then slid her hands up, pulling his head closer, deeper into the kiss.

Just like that, he was in her arms. There was no more this Doctor, that Doctor, and Rose. It was just the two of them.

The Doctor wrapped his arms completely around her, eagerly returning the kiss. He felt her arms tighten around his shoulders, even as he pulled her closer to him. He held her like he'd wished he could so many times before, his lips never leaving hers. He could feel her, taste her, smell her; he was completely surrounded by her. So many times, when they'd been close, he'd been so tempted to give in, to lose himself to her. And now . . . .

She was his world.

He didn't think her legs were even supporting her anymore, from the way she was clinging to him. His grip on her tightened a fraction more, one hand splayed behind her back, the other gripping her waist. He had her. And he would never let her fall.

Her hands moved over his shoulders, cradling his head, then back around his neck, just holding onto him.

Rose. His Rose.

The TARDIS' engines sounded, and Rose suddenly broke away from the kiss with a gasp. Without a word or a backwards glance, she pulled herself from the Doctor's arms, and ran a few steps towards the dematerializing ship.

Within the space of a few heartbeats-more than a few, if the Doctor considered his elevated heart rate-it was gone.

He moved slowly towards her, reality breaking in on his earlier bliss. She'd chosen him, in the moment she'd kissed him, but now she was faced with the consequences of that choice. No TARDIS, No other Doctor, not even a goodbye.

Cautiously, he stepped up beside her, taking her left hand in his right. She looked at him, turning from where the TARDIS had been, and he could see unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

* * *

To be continued.


	3. Pete's World

Chapter 3, Pete's World

"You're . . ." Rose began, looking at the Doctor.

He waited anxiously for her to continue. I'm what? he thought. Him? Not really him? He felt her flex her fingers, and for a moment feared she would pull away. But she only readjusted her grip to squeeze his hand more tightly.

"You're you," she said, smiling.

"Yeah," he said, his throat constricting as tears of relief sprung to his eyes. "I'm me." She truly was amazing.

"You're here," she said, grinning at him.

"You're stuck with me, now," he said, with an answering smile. But he regretted the words, as a slight shadow passed over Rose's face. Idiot, he thought at himself.

Jackie walked up to them. "Rose, honey, lemme try that superphone of yours. I can't get a signal."

Ah, yes, thought the Doctor. Jackie was there, wasn't she?

Without letting go of his hand, Rose fished out her mobile and handed it to her Mum. Jackie walked back down the beach as she dialed. Rose turned fully towards the Doctor, and reached out a hand to rest on his chest again. She sighed. "It's weird, seein' you in this suit," she said, ignoring his earlier comment.

"I'll tell you a secret," the Doctor offered, leaning in conspiratorially. "Can't really stand it."

"Why're you wearin' it, then?" she asked.

"First thing I could find on the TARDIS," he told her, straightening. "When I--I guess you could say, regenerated--when I regenerated, I had as much on as that hand had been wearing."

Rose bit her lip. "I see," she said, a bit of her earlier smile returning.

The Doctor was fairly certain he felt a blush creeping up his neck. "Um," he managed, free hand on said neck, but Rose's smile just got bigger.

Jackie returned after a moment. "Your dad's bringin' Tony in a private jet with our passports an' all, so all's we've got to do is get to the Bergen airport," she announced, handing back Rose's mobile.

"Jet?" asked the Doctor, glad of the interruption. He turned around to face Jackie. "What happened to zeppelins?"

"We could take a zeppelin, 'cept we haven't got one," said Jackie, "an' I for one don't feel like spendin' ten hours in the air, even if we had. We're seven hundred miles from London, if you haven't noticed."

"Ah," the Doctor replied.

"But passports," said Rose, turning to the Doctor, "you haven't got any psychic paper, have you?"

The Doctor smiled. "What did you think I was up to, while we were in orbit?" he asked as he produced the wallet, waving it proudly. "I may have no idea what possessed me to add this suit to the wardrobe in the first place, but it's got some wonderful pockets, and now they're quite well stocked."

"If that's settled," said Jackie, "we'd better get a move on. The taxi's almost an hour away, an' it's gonna meet us at the petrol station down the road."

"Then what's the rush?" asked the Doctor.

"The store's about a two or three miles off," Jackie answered, turning and leading the way.

"Three miles?" whined the Doctor to Rose.

"We could get there ahead of her," Rose said, grinning, a bit of tongue visible between her teeth.

The Doctor smiled his biggest smile yet. With a squeeze of her hand, he told her, "Run!"

--

Rose ran. She had so many thoughts running through her head, it was good to let them all go for a moment, in the rush of adrenaline and laughter.

Eventually, she and the Doctor slowed to a walk, once they'd made a show of passing Jackie. Unsurprisingly, Jackie had made no effort to catch them up, so they ambled along slowly, waiting for her, swinging their joined hands between them.

His hand. The very same hand she'd held when he was unconscious in bed, just a stranger, calling himself her Doctor.

Is that what he was now? A stranger?

No, she knew him. She knew it _was_ him. She'd looked into his eyes, eyes that she knew so well. She'd heard him say the words she'd ached to hear from his lips. She'd kissed those lips, just like she'd longed to do for so long now, and he'd kissed her, just like she'd hoped he'd wanted to.

But he'd changed. He was a lot less different than if he had completely regenerated, but maybe that's what made it strange. She didn't quite know where the differences lay, and she was even less sure if she was bothered by them.

Was it his supposed ruthlessness? Born of battle? The other him had said he was like the last him, when they'd first met. But she didn't see the same emptiness in his eyes. She saw determination, yes, but that was more reminiscent of herself than of the post Time War Time Lord.

Was it the Donna in him? Rose didn't think so. He'd brought the Donna-isms under control, even while they were still on board the TARDIS. It was amusing at first, but he'd been eager to bury it, he'd said, because he'd suddenly gained far too much knowledge of all things female.

Was it the humanness of him? One heart. Aging. Rose wondered what other differences there were, but she wasn't afraid. They'd find out together--she hoped.

Maybe it was the simple fact that he _was_ stuck here, with her, while there was another him, in another universe, zipping around in the TARDIS without her--

"What're you thinking?" the Doctor asked her.

Rose looked up. Jackie was just ahead of them now, but out of earshot. "'Bout the TARDIS," she answered, not quite comfortable thinking too much about the other him just yet.

The Doctor smiled. "I miss her already," he said.

"Me too," agreed Rose. "I mean, I thought that if I found you, I'd've found her, too. That it'd be back to normal. It's just weird." She looked back over at him, and saw that he still had a smile on his face. "What?" she asked. "Why're you smilin'?"

The Doctor didn't answer, except to reach into his trouser pocket. After a moment's digging, he produced a lump of what looked like coral.

"What's that?" Rose asked, but even as she spoke the question, she thought she recognized it.

"This," said the Doctor, holing the coral carefully between them, "you could call a seed."

"For a TARDIS?" Rose asked, breathlessly.

"Exactly," he answered.

"How long?" she asked, looking up at him, as he put the seed back in his pocket.

"Maybe ten, fifteen years, give or take," he told her. "What do you think," he asked, tugging her just a little closer as they walked, "anywhere in the universe, free of charge?" He leaned over to whisper in her ear, "And did I mention, it also travels in time?"

Rose shook her head, smiling. "Sounds too good to refuse," she said. Then, "What else have you got in those pockets?"

He gave her a sly grin that made her suspect he really was hiding something more. "That's for me to know and you to find out," he told her.

--

To be continued.


	4. Taxi

Chapter 4, Taxi

Jackie was riding up front, next to the driver, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone in the back seat on the taxi ride to Bergen Lufthavn.

The Doctor wasn't kidding himself. Yes, their light banter had been pleasant enough on their hike to meet the taxi, but there was still an undercurrent of . . . something.

He hadn't let go of Rose's hand once, not since he'd taken it on the beach after the TARDIS had dematerialized. And Rose hadn't tried to let go, either. That was comforting, but he suspected they both needed some comfort right now.

He'd been so happy to tell her his secret about the TARDIS coral, but he was doubting himself now. Was he trying to buy her confidence? He wanted to believe she wanted him--not the other him--but he felt like he was trying to prove himself. She'd kissed him. That was just, well, "fantastically brilliant" almost covered it, but what did she want from him beyond that?

If he was honest with himself, the Doctor couldn't believe she'd really want him, not without the time and space travel they'd enjoyed. After all, what was a Time Lord--and only part Time Lord, at that--without a time machine? And she was stuck with him. How could he not be a burden to her? Did she feel responsible for him? Would she take him in out of pity? He just wanted to love her. That was no problem, actually, but he really just wanted her to love him, too, the way she'd said she did, the last time she stood on that beach . . . .

"What're you gonna do?" Rose asked him, bringing the Doctor out of his silent musings, and making him wonder if she'd somehow been reading his thoughts. "I mean," she continued, "are you gonna get a job an' all?"

"I'll have to," he told her. "Besides, that Torchwood of yours is still open for business, right?" he asked, finding it quite ironic that he was now considering working for them.

"Mm-hm," Rose answered.

"Well, I think I know a thing or two about aliens," he told her with a smile.

She smiled back. "Yeah, you prob'ly do," she told him.

"But do you think they'd take me?" the Doctor asked.

"Why wouldn't they?" Rose asked.

"Well, I was practically public enemy number one at the old Torchwood--"

Rose shook her head. "Not a problem, here," she said. "Queen Victoria founded it, but it wasn't 'cause of you. Prince Albert was the one to save her from the werewolf. An' Dad's gone a long way in getting Torchwood beyond British supremacy. We've even got a couple aliens workin' for us already."

"Really?" the Doctor asked, genuinely surprised.

"Yup," she said, "you'll fit right in."

Well, it was a bit of a relief to know that he'd at least be able to support himself. But he'd still need help learning his way around this new world. "So tell me," he asked, "what else is new here, some of the other differences?"

--

Rose spent the two-hour taxi ride sitting comfortably next to the Doctor, explaining the nuances of Pete's world to him. She covered everything from the government of the People's Republic of Great Britain, to her frustration at not being able to find a good chippie anywhere in London. She related the generalities of her life here, over the past several years--it had been almost five for her, but only two for the Doctor, she'd discovered. Actually, he'd said something like, "Two, well, three, but only two really passed, but--two." Whatever that meant.

They laughed and joked, her Mum joining in as well when the conversation grew loud enough to invite her. And all the while, Rose studied the Doctor.

It still felt so natural to hold his hand. In fact, she realized she hadn't let go of him yet, not since she'd torn out of his arms when the TARDIS had vanished. She was conflicted, to say the least. Half of her wanted to throw herself right back into his arms, regardless of their audience. The other half was nervous as all get out, wondering how far he wanted to take things with her. He'd said he could spend his life with her, but that's what they'd been doing before. Were they just friends who happened to love each other, and occasionally snog each other? Did he want more? Could she let herself be more to him, when that other him was out there, somewhere, without her?

She felt a nagging, guilty bubble in the pit of her stomach, and knew, even as she tried to push the thought aside, that she'd put her finger on exactly the problem: she was happy. She felt happier than she had since before she'd ever heard of the void, and it was the fault of the man seated next to her, the man who'd said he loved her. _Her_ Doctor, the one who didn't leave her behind. But the one who'd left with Donna, wasn't he her Doctor, too? The big difference between them was that the old Doctor chose to leave her, chose to give her up, breaking his promise--but keeping it, too, in a way.

Rose watched as Jackie filled the Doctor in on some more details of their world, and knew that before they could move on much further, she'd have to corner him and have a much more in-depth, private talk.

Oh, how she hated trying to get him to talk. And she wasn't much better at talking, herself, not after years of playing everything close to the chest like she had.

With relief at being able to postpone the inevitable, Rose saw the airport control tower come into view.

--

To be continued.


	5. Meant To Be

Chapter 5, Meant To Be

The Doctor was just about ready to adopt Jackie Tyler as his mother. When they'd met Pete and little Tony at the airport, she'd introduced him simply as "the Doctor", then proceeded to explain that he'd also become part human. There was no "new Doctor", or "Doctor clone", or anything of the like. And to think, he'd once cowered in fear of this woman!

Tony was, well, adorable. The little three-and-a-half-year-old toddled right up to him, and demanded, "up!" with upraised arms. For the first time since he'd taken it, the Doctor had been forced to let go of Rose's hand, but it was worth it to see her smiling at him holding her little brother. Tony was another perfect blend of Pete and Jackie, so obviously related to Rose and yet so different. He dared to imagine what features Rose's children might inherit from their mother, and for the first time in a long time, the thought of children didn't bring the inevitable pang of sorrow.

The Doctor boarded the jet with obvious reluctance. When Rose asked, he told her, "I made it through the taxi ride, but I don't know if I can sit still for another three hours without going insane!"

She just patted his arm, and told him to try sleeping. Him! Sleeping! What was she thinking?

He woke up just as they touched down in London.

--

They made it to the Tyler mansion just before midnight. Rose led the Doctor up the grand staircase to the bedrooms, while Pete and Jackie took a sleeping Tony to the nursery. Rose was so close to just showing him into her own room, but walked past it to one of the open guest rooms. "Ya should be alright in here," she told him, opening the door. Still, she couldn't help but add, "I'm just down the hall, second on the left."

The Doctor nodded, standing just inside the doorway, looking around at the comfortably furnished room. "Doors, check," he said, swinging said door by the handle. "Carpets, check," he added, bouncing slightly on his toes.

Rose smiled. "No mortgage, though, thanks to Vitex." She nodded towards the corner of the room. "Bathroom's through there, should have everythin' ya need," she said. "I'll grab ya some of Dad's pajamas. If you want your suit washed, just leave your stuff in the hall. Should be ready by mornin'. And then," she added with a grin, "we can take you shoppin'."

"Ugh," he moaned. "And I was afraid of a mortgage." He shook his head, then said, "Oh!" patting down his pockets.

"What's up?" Rose asked, as he shrugged out of his suit jacket and reached into an inside pocket.

"You asked what else I had in my pockets? Well, this is for you," he told her, withdrawing a long, narrow duffle.

"What is it?" Rose asked, as he handed it to her.

"That is your room," he said with a smile.

"My room's down the hall," she replied.

"No, your room on the TARDIS," he explained. "She packed it up for you."

Rose bit her lip, feeling tears spring to her eyes. "Thanks," she whispered, staring at the bag.

"Well," said the Doctor after a moment's silence. "I guess I'll," he jerked his thumb towards the bathroom.

"Yeah," Rose said, coming back to herself, and swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well," she said awkwardly, "g'night."

The Doctor didn't answer right away, and looked as though he didn't know what to say. She imagined he felt somewhat like she did, not really comfortable with letting him out of her sight, afraid this might somehow turn out to be a dream. "'Night," he said at last, but neither of them moved to leave or close the door.

Rose took a hesitant step towards him, and he did the same, instantly pulling her into a hug. Rose let out a relieved sigh at just being able to hold him. "I still can't believe you're real," she mumbled into his shoulder.

The Doctor pulled back to look at her. "I can't believe _you're_ real!" he admitted with a smile.

Before she could think, he was kissing her, or, rather, they were kissing. She definitely couldn't tell who'd moved first, nor could she care. He instantly had her weak in the knees, and backed her up carefully against the wall, next to the door.

The still-open door.

"Oi!" came her Mum's voice from the hall. They sprang apart with a gasp. "They make doors for a reason," Jackie said over her shoulder, she and Pete continuing down the hall towards their room.

Rose recovered from her embarrassment, and momentarily toyed with the doorknob. She realized she really needed to get out of there before she gave in again in the face of the half nervous, half eager Doctor. "G'night," she said again, leaning in to give him a peck on the lips before slipping out, closing the door behind her.

She was back at her room before she remembered promising the Doctor some pajamas. She tossed the duffle on her bed, then made her way to her parents' room. She almost managed to meet her Mum's eyes when she made her request, then trotted back to the Doctor's room. She knocked, then slipped inside when she heard the shower running. She left the pajamas neatly folded on the bed, beside his discarded suit jacket, t-shirt, and she really wasn't looking to see what else. Just like she wasn't looking at the open bathroom door, and the already-billowing steam.

She left quickly, relieved to make it back to her room once again.

--

The doors of the TARDIS opened without Rose touching them, and she stood in the doorway. She looked out at the scene before her, her Doctor surrounded by Daleks, their Emperor displayed on the screen.

She felt the power surging through her; she saw all of time and space, and she could control it. The Daleks had driven the Doctor's people to their destruction, and continued to destroy.

Never again.

"I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself."

She saw Davros' escape from the Time War and his ultimate revenge in the form of the Reality Bomb. It would not happen. The Bad Wolf could stop it. She opened Caan's mind, showing him the truth of the Daleks, a sliver of time. He would play his part well.

There were worlds, universes, across the void, where time moved faster than in the Doctor's universe. Rose would go there herself, so as to be able to warn him.

"I want you safe, my Doctor."

She used the pattern of Davros' own weapon against his creations. The Daleks became dust, the dust became atoms, and the atoms became . . . nothing.

"The Time War ends."

But there was more.

She saw the infinite variations, and found a world in which her father was alive, Mickey's grandmother, as well. That would serve. With hardly a thought, the pathway was formed. Events were set in motion.

She would lose her Doctor, for a time. But it was necessary. She was here to heal him, but she could never stay with him for the rest of his lives. He needed to live, to grow beyond her, to learn to carry his love for her without it being burdensome.

He would need other companions to help him. She planted the seeds, where they were necessary. She reached across time and space, and whispered encouragement where needed. She restored the fallen.

"I bring life."

A gift and a curse for Jack, but he would save the world so many times over, and his heart was big enough to love for a billion, for five billion years.

She watched the Doctor-Donna save the multi-verse. The least the Bad Wolf could do for her was to reach into her mind, building the shields she'd need to recover.

_"I think you need a Doctor."_

Donna would also give Rose an incredible gift: her Doctor.

Her Doctor, but without the loneliness of the Last of the Time Lords. He would be something new, but part of humanity all the same; the weight of his old universe lifted from his shoulders; free to love and be loved, to defend and explore a new universe, with her hand to hold.

--

To be continued.


	6. A Resolution and a Solution

Chapter 6, A Resolution and a Solution

Rose awoke with the feel of her first Doctor's kiss lingering on her lips. She felt with an incredible certainty and clarity the pain in the Doctor's hearts, wishing he could give himself to her completely. But there had always been something in the way: guilt, unworthiness, doubt, fate.

She let the dream--no, memories--sink in. Is this really the way things were meant to be? she thought. The way I'd designed them to be? Her Mum had Pete and Tony. Mickey was totally independent of her--he'd gone back their old earth. Jack was practically immortal and living life. The Doctor--her original Doctor--was on his own (she knew Donna would need time to recover), but he'd learned to open himself up a bit more, so that maybe he wouldn't spend the rest of his lives lonely. Rose wouldn't have been able to stay with him for his "forever", no matter how faithfully she'd have given him her own. And this Doctor . . . .

This Doctor was part human. He only had one heart. He wouldn't regenerate. But he had the chance to live the one adventure he could never have, with her. He was literally made for her.

He loved her. He really loved her, and he'd told her so.

She let the concept wash over her, as she lay staring at the darkened ceiling above her. For the first time since discovering the two Doctors, she wasn't conflicted. She didn't feel guilty about loving her Doctor. She'd done all she could for the Doctor in her old universe, and she knew now that it would be enough. She could give this Doctor herself, freely.

Of course, what he'd do with such a gift was entirely up to him.

Still, thought Rose with a smile, there was a good deal she could do to influence him.

The clock beside her bed told her it was only three in the morning, but she couldn't sleep--not with these thoughts swirling in her mind. She threw back her covers, and padded down to the kitchen.

--

Rose smiled at the sight of the Doctor. He was seated at the kitchen table, wearing pajamas that were about three inches too short for him, glasses perched on his nose, a spoon dangling from his mouth, an open jar of marmalade in one hand, turning the pages of a book with the other.

Of all the comments she could have made, Rose asked, "You're actually using a spoon?"

The Doctor turned, smiling at her around the spoon, then pulled it from his mouth. "I seem to be in Jackie's good graces at the moment," he told her. "I'd rather not spoil it over fingers in the jam jar."

Rose sat down next to him, taking a swipe of marmalade from the jar with her fingers, enjoying his shocked expression. "I'd forgotten how much you like this stuff," she said, grinning as she licked her fingers clean.

"Me, too," he admitted, enjoying another spoonful. "I didn't really eat it anymore, after you . . . ."

After he lost her, Rose didn't need him to say. She laid her hand on his arm, smiling gently.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked.

"Why aren't you?" she shot back. "You were out like a light on the plane, was that enough for your Time Lord-slash-human physiology?"

He smiled, but sighed, shaking his head. "It's too quiet, without the TARDIS," he said. "And it's weird. The last couple of times I was in this universe, I couldn't get out fast enough. My time sense was going crazy, with the way time passes faster here. But now, it's like it's in the back of my mind, just a bit of extra information instead of staring me in the face."

"So, that's good, right?" asked Rose.

"For my sanity, yes," he said.

"But?"

"But, it means I have to be very careful," he said, bouncing the spoon in his fingers. "Paradoxes and fixed events aren't as obvious to me anymore. If we do get the TARDIS up and running, well, we'll need to be very careful."

"So, we'll be careful," Rose told him, so glad to imagine her future with him, back travelling among the stars. "And I think I can help with the quiet," she said, getting up and walking to the cupboard. She pulled out a large spaghetti pot and set it on the table as she sat back down. The Doctor raised a questioning eyebrow. "When I was first stuck here, I had the same problem gettin' to sleep," she said. "But I figured out that if I put my desk fan in here, it made a quiet, background sort of hum that I could drift off to."

"Brilliant!" he said, pushing aside his book and the marmalade, to pull the pot over to him. He flicked it, listening to the resonating ring, then leaned over to Rose and pulled her into a brief kiss. "Rose Tyler, you are a genius," he told her, returning to his inspection of the spaghetti pot.

"Takes one to know one," she replied.

He smiled. "So why aren't you asleep?" he asked again.

"Mind's just racing," she said. She almost told him about her dream, but sudden doubt struck her. What if it was all wishful thinking? Well, there was one way to find out. "Doctor," she asked, "is Jack . . . " he looked up at her, worry etched in his features, "is Jack immortal?"

He was silent a moment, then, "Yeah," he said, quietly.

"Because of me," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded.

"And Donna, she won't stay like that, will she?" she asked. "Half Time Lord an' all?"

The Doctor shook his head. "She can't. She's got a Time Lord mind imprinted on a human brain. She'll burn out if the knowledge isn't removed. Permanently."

Well, Rose had her confirmation, now she could share a bit of consolation. "Not permanently," she said, and he looked at her in confusion. "She'll recover. Bad Wolf saw to it," she told him, smiling.

"How do you know?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"I dreamt it, just like last time," she said. "Before, all I could see was what happened right there on the Gamestation. But this time, I could tell what I did for them, too."

His expression was a satisfying mix of wonder, relief, and gratitude. He sat back in his chair, staring at her in amazement. "Thank you," he said, finally. "Thank you so much!" he exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair. "If only the other me knew," he said.

"All in good time," Rose told him, and somehow she knew they'd meet again when the time was right.

The Doctor smiled at her, then yawned. "Ah, maybe I should try your fan trick now," he suggested.

Rose stood, and pulled the Doctor to his feet. "C'mon," she told him, leading him by the hand. He grabbed the pot, and followed after her.

She led him into her bedroom. "Have a seat," she said, as she went to rummage through her closet. The Doctor sat on the bed, watching her. At last, she found what she'd been searching for. "Here we go," she said, holding up the small fan. She walked over to her nightstand, and plugged it into the outlet. She cleared a space for the pot, and set it on the stand with the fan inside. A flip of the switch, and the room was filled with a quiet humming.

"Beautiful," said the Doctor, flopping back on the bed in relief, his eyes closed. "It's not saying anything, but I can see how you could fall asleep to it," he told her.

Rose laid down and patted the pillow beside her. "C'mon, then," she said.

The Doctor looked up at her, then crawled up to the pillow, rolling onto his side so that he could face her. "Thank you," he said, quite seriously, and Rose knew he meant to convey more than just his thanks for the noise-maker.

Rose reached out a hand to brush his hair off his forehead, watching the Doctor close his eyes as she trailed her fingers down the side of his face. "You're welcome," she told him, resting her hand on his chest.

After a moment, his breathing deepened, his mouth fell slightly open, and Rose realized he was already asleep. Closing her own eyes, Rose followed not far behind.

--

To be continued.


	7. Rose's World

Chapter 7, Rose's World

Rose opened her eyes, seeing the Doctor clearly in the morning light that streamed in through her bedroom window. He looked so peaceful. Somehow, during the night, they'd ended up wrapped up in each other's arms; she couldn't remember the last time she'd slept that comfortably.

Rose reached up, gently brushing his hair from his eyes. To her surprise, his eyes were immediately open.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she said, withdrawing her hand.

"Wasn't sleeping," he said, touching her face. "I didn't want to wake you."

Rose smiled, bringing her hand back up, mirroring his position. What she'd give to lie like this, with him, every morning. She idly ran her fingers over the side of his face, feeling the changes in texture between his forehead, his sideburn, the stubble that covered his jaw. Should she say something? Would it scare him off to know how much she wanted a life with him? And not just as friends?

The Doctor shifted, pulling back the arm that was trapped against the bed, propping himself up on his elbow. The way he looked into her eyes, she could almost swear he was reading her mind. "Rose," he whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear, and brushing his knuckles along her jaw to her chin. She saw him hesitate, just for a moment. Then he dipped his head, and kissed her.

It was unlike any kiss they'd ever shared. It wasn't desperate, it wasn't teasing or playful, it was just . . . them. His hand moved from her face, to her shoulders, back up into her hair, while Rose wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

Rose tried to sneak a breath, unwilling to let this end, but to her surprise, the Doctor pulled away first, breathing hard. "Sorry," he panted, kissing her lips again briefly before trailing lighter kisses towards her ear. "No-" kiss, "respiratory-" kiss, "bypass," he whispered. "Weird," he added, then proceeded to suck on her earlobe, teasing it with his tongue.

"Oh," Rose sighed, completely lost as he worked his way down her neck. "Welcome to my world," she said vaguely.

"Nice to be here," he replied, kissing along her clavicle. Then, bringing his lips up next to her ear, he told her, "I love you."

Rose was stunned. She wouldn't have expected the words to have such an effect on her, but she realized in that instant that he hadn't said them like that until now. On the beach, he was telling her what he would have said, all those years ago, if he hadn't run out of time. But this, this was here and now. She felt a tear escape her still-closed eyes.

The Doctor had stilled above her. She felt his thumb brush the tear from her face. "Rose," he whispered. She opened her eyes, looking into his, seeing his concern, his self-doubt, but above all, the love he'd just proclaimed.

"My Doctor," she managed at last. "I love you," she told him, smiling.

He smiled down at her, and to her amazement, she saw tears spring to his eyes as well. She pulled him to her, nestling her face in the crook of his neck, just holding on to him as tightly as she could. She felt his arms move possessively around her as he returned the embrace. "Thank you," he whispered, thickly.

* * *

After just holding each other until Rose nearly drifted back off to sleep, the Doctor had returned to his room to get ready for the day. As Rose had promised, his suit was hanging on his doorknob, cleaned and pressed. He washed and dressed, all the while replaying Rose's "I love you" in his mind-with perfect clarity, he might add. Benefit of a Time Lord brain, whatever human modifications he'd undergone.

The Doctor was in heaven. At least, he couldn't imagine that any one of the myriads of reward-type afterlives of which he'd heard tell could possibly better the level of happiness he was experiencing right now.

The last time he'd woken with Rose like that, she'd just been possessed by the Wire. She'd kissed him then, and it had taken all his willpower to just to be there for her, and not give in and reciprocate.

But now . . . now, life was good.

Since early that morning, when Rose had first met him in the kitchen, he'd seen it, but he hadn't recognized it at first. Rose's hesitation was gone. Her reluctance, what he imagined was her confusion about the two of him, seemed to have disappeared. He wondered if it might have stemmed from the dream she'd mentioned, but mostly he was just glad it was no longer an issue. Maybe they really did have a chance at being more than just really, really close friends.

He opened his dresser drawer to retrieve several of the objects he'd removed from his pockets the night before: the TARDIS coral, just to keep it close; the psychic paper-always useful, especially without an official identity; the spare sonic screwdriver; and Rose's ring-at least, he hoped it would be hers, soon enough.

* * *

After breakfast, Rose took the Doctor shopping, just as she'd threatened. She went easy on him, not taking any detours for her own sake, nor making him get anything he really didn't want.

She was surprised at how relieved she was to see him in his old pinstripes and a tie again.

He bought himself a long, brown overcoat; several pinstriped suits in variations of brown and blue - heavy on the brown; a tuxedo, although he utterly refused dress shoes; shirts; socks; ties; undergarments (he didn't let her anywhere near while he shopped for those); and pajamas-striped, of course. When she suggested some more casual attire, jeans perhaps, he seemed to consider it, but left it at, "Maybe later."

Once they got back to the mansion, Jackie handed the Doctor a note from Pete. He showed it to Rose. "Seems your Dad wants to know who I'm supposed to be," he told her. Pete wanted the Doctor's new life's details, so that he could get the proper forgeries started.

"This'll take some work," Rose said, reading the note. "Tell ya what, I'll meet ya in the sittin' room with lunch, if ya wanna take this stuff to your room."

* * *

The Doctor did as he was instructed, carrying the shopping up to his bedroom. He took the opportunity to change into one of his new suits, burying the plain, blue one he'd been wearing as far back in his wardrobe (just a wardrobe, not an entire room) as he could hide it. It may have been useful, but he had the feeling it would always remind him of Rose not being sure of who he was.

He found Rose waiting in the sitting room, and as promised, there were plates of sandwiches and crisps on the coffee table. Rose was curled up on the sofa, already writing out a list on a large notepad.

She smiled up at him, as he walked into the room. She glanced at his suit and asked, "Feelin' better?"

"Much," he said, flopping down on the couch next to her. "How's it going so far?" he asked.

"I've got the basics that Dad wanted," she said showing him the list, "birth certificate an' all, and I figured you might want some advanced degrees and whatnot if you're still goin' by 'Doctor'."

He smiled at her cleverness, and suggested several topics upon which he was more than well-versed.

"'Kay," she said, "now, when and where were ya born?"

"What's the date here?" he asked. "2011?"

"Yeah," Rose answered. "May thirteenth."

"And about how old would you say I look?"

Rose made quite a show of examining his features, turning his head from side to side. "Hmm," she said, "no grey hairs just yet, not too many wrinkles." She released him and said, "I dunno, 'bout thirty- . . . seven? Thirty-eight?"

"Thirty-seven, it is," said the Doctor. "Born, 12 May 1974 in . . . Bloomsbury, London, England."

"Bloomsbury?" Rose asked.

"It's where Donna was born," he told her.

"Alright, so, that's done," said Rose, filling in the information, "but ya still need a name. I was gonna put 'John Smith', but I didn't know if that's what you'd want permanently."

"Just put whatever you like," he told her.

Rose laughed. "It's your name, you pick it."

"I'm not the one that'll be using it, though," he told her. "I'll just be using things like 'I' and 'me' and so on and so forth."

Rose looked at him, a bit shyly. "Can't I just call you Doctor?" she asked.

"I'd love for you to just call me Doctor," he told her with a smile. "But maybe you should at least pick a last name," he said, hoping his face wasn't giving away his nervousness.

"It's gonna be your name," she persisted, obviously frustrated with his stubbornness. "Why don't you pick it?"

He swallowed, bracing himself, then reached into his breast pocket for that precious little object he'd been carrying for years. "Because," he told her, pulling out the ring, "I'd rather hoped you'd share it?"

She stared, open mouthed, at the ring in his hand. Then, without a word, she turned back to her list and scribbled something at the bottom.

Was she trying to ignore him? Giving him a chance to put it away and pretend he hadn't asked? Too soon! he scolded himself. What were you thinking?

But then, she turned back to him, her grin in seeming contradiction to the tears glistening in her eyes, and he sneaked a look at the paper. "Marriage Certificate", she'd written, and his heart leapt. "Is that a ye-" he tried to ask, but she cut him off, launching herself into his arms, and claiming his lips with her own. He had just enough composure left to set the ring on the coffee table, before he was lost in _his fiancée's_ delicious assault on his senses.

* * *

_You win, o, faithful reviewers . . . TO BE CONTINUED :)_


	8. Talking, Mostly

You EVIL people. I was all done. They were engaged, they were happy, but you needed more. FINE!

Enjoy :)

--

Chapter 8, Talking, Mostly

Rose could happily spend the rest of her life kissing this man, Time Lord, whatever, and now it looked like she really was going to. He had actually proposed! With a ring and everything! He hadn't gotten down on one knee, with flowers and the like, but who cared? She'd never imagined they'd get this far. They were going to get married!

Right?

Her mind struggled past his kiss, and the sensations his hands were creating, smoothing along her back, dipping under the hem of her shirt. They hadn't actually talked about it. He'd mentioned her sharing his name, and he had a ring; he meant marriage, didn't he?

Doubt filling her mind at the number of possible ways she might have misconstrued his actions, Rose gently pushed back from the Doctor. He made quite a picture, happily ensconced in the corner of the couch, breathing heavily, hair thoroughly tousled. He grinned at her, but she bit her lip. Oh, how she hated "talking".

He seemed to realize something was bothering her, because he sat up straighter and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Did you mean," she faltered, then, "are you askin' me to marry you?" Yeah. Just say it. That works.

He smiled, but didn't answer. He reached out, picking up the ring from the coffee table, then slid off the couch, dropping to one knee and facing her. "I guess I didn't make myself clear," he said, picking up her left hand, and holding the ring out in front of her ring finger. "Rose Tyler, will you marry me?" he asked.

Rose was sure her face would split from the force of the smile she was wearing. He'd even gotten on his knee, after all. "Yeah," she managed in a whisper, watching as he slid the ring into place. It fit perfectly.

He moved back onto the couch, this time pinning her in the corner as he resumed their previous activity.

Still, questions swirled in Rose's mind. "But--" she managed, pushing him back, "what does that mean?" she asked.

"You're asking me?" he said, sitting back, his fingers playing with the ring where it sat on her hand.

"Well, yeah," she said, squeezing his hand. "I mean, what do you want it to mean? White, picket fence, dogs, kids? What?"

She saw him wince at the mention of the "picket fence", but he only said, "Whatever you want."

"But what did you have in mind when you asked?" she persisted.

He didn't answer immediately, but sat back, looking up at the ceiling. "I guess," he began, "just being able to tell you how I really feel," he said, turning his head to look at her. "Being able to show you, every single day we're alive, without worrying about crossing lines. Introducing you as my wife when we finally do start travelling again, probably cutting our sticky situations in about half," he said with a wink. Okay, so there had been a few times when a local prince, or chieftain, or whatnot had tried to marry her, but half? "Raising--" he swallowed, "raising a family," he said, sitting straighter, and looking her in the eyes. "If you want," he added.

Rose felt herself relax, hearing confirm all her hopes. "I'd like that," she said. "All of that," she added, smiling at how his eyes visibly brightened. "But--" how to put this, now that he'd brought it up? "Can we? I mean, human, Time Lord," she said gesturing between the two of them, "are we, like, compatible that way?" Yes, she was blushing, but it had to be asked, didn't it?

At least he had the decency to blush, as well. "Um, well," he said, "if you'd asked me that before all this, I would have highly doubted it."

"Before . . . ?" Rose prompted.

"Before I became part human," he clarified.

"Ah," she said. "And now? Now that you are part human?"

"Well," he said, glancing away, briefly, before meeting her eyes again. "Now, I'd say there's a better chance."

Rose grinned. "That's an improvement, then."

He smiled. "A definite improvement," he said. Then, without warning, he shouted at the top of his lungs to the otherwise empty room, "ROSE IS GONNA MARRY ME!" and turned to kiss her again, smothering her laughter.

After a moment, Rose heard pounding footsteps approaching, followed promptly by her mother's exasperated, "What the bloody--"

The Doctor pulled away and was on his feet in a flash.

Rose looked over the back of the couch at her Mum, Tony balanced on her hip and still wearing his bib, his face covered in tomato sauce. "WHAT is goin' on?" her Mum demanded.

"Um, Rose is gonna marry me?" the Doctor repeated, and Rose thought he was doing a fairly good job of not withering under her Mum's glare.

"An' you just had to announce it to the whole world?" Jackie demanded.

To Rose's delight, he smiled, rocking back on his heels, hands in his trouser pockets. "Pretty much, yep," he told her.

Even Jackie had to smile at that. "Well congrats, then," she said, moving over to Rose, kissing her on the forehead. "Can't say I didn't see it comin'," she told her.

"Thanks, Mum," Rose answered, smiling between her and the Doctor.

"Thanks, Mum," the Doctor echoed, ginning.

"Oi, it's not 'Mum' to you, just yet," Jackie told him, sternly. "You'd better be plannin' a _proper_ weddin'."

Rose watched with amusement as the Doctor's smile morphed into a grimace as Jackie and Tony left.

--

To be continued.


	9. Plans

Chapter 9, Plans

Rose finally got around to eating her sandwich, the Doctor joining her on the sofa once Jackie had left.

"Is that what you want?" he asked her, between bites.

"What?" she asked.

"A 'proper weddin'," he answered, doing an uncanny impersonation of her mother.

Rose laughed, trying not to spray bits of lettuce. "I don't really care," she said, and noticed the Doctor visibly relax. "Maybe just a couple of hundred guests," she added evilly. "I'm kiddin'," she added when he paled. "Just so long as it's me an' you, I really don't care."

"Good," he replied. "Big weddings take way too long. Remember the Queen of Sertine? We patched things up nice and cozy between her and the Duke, but we had to jump ahead three _years _to stand as their witnesses."

She smiled. "And how soon did you have in mind?"

He grinned at her around his sandwich, then swallowed down a bite. "Doing anything tonight?" he asked.

The Doctor knew they'd have to wait at least until he'd gotten his documents, but it didn't hurt to ask. They agreed that they'd get married as soon as "humanly" possible, once he had his forged life, regardless of whether or not they had to elope.

He'd decided to go with "Doctor John Smith" to keep things simple. Rose said she had no problem changing her name to "Smith", since as far as she was concerned they were still just "the Doctor and Rose" anyway.

They spent the rest of the afternoon searching on the internet, looking at houses.

"There anythin' in particular ya want?" Rose asked him.

"An Olympic-sized diving well," he answered.

Rose was looking at him like he was crazy.

"Or," he allowed, "space to build one."

"What on earth for?" she asked.

"To grow the TARDIS," he answered, thinking it should be obvious.

"Ah," she said, turning back to the computer.

As it turned out, there was a house for sale just a few miles from the Tyler estate that looked like it would serve their needs quite well. Its exterior completely enclosed a courtyard that could easily be converted into a tank for the TARDIS. The house itself had an open floor plan and hardwood flooring, drastically reducing the number of doors and carpets they'd have to deal with. Since Rose had received a significant bonus in addition to an indefinite leave of absence for her almost single-handed efforts on behalf of the multi-verse, it was well within their price range. Rose was able to complete the entire purchase online, within half an hour of deciding upon it.

When Pete got home that evening, he invited the Doctor into his home office. Pete looked over the document list that Rose and the Doctor had compiled. "I should be able to get these to you in about forty-eight hours," he said, setting the notepad aside. "And, if you'll come in tomorrow, I've got you set up for an interview."

"Would I be starting right away?" the Doctor asked.

"If you want," Pete said.

"Actually . . ." the Doctor scratched the back of his neck, "I was hoping for a couple of weeks to get settled, and . . . ." Why was he so nervous? He was over nine hundred years old, and here he was sweating telling a forty-something human that he was going to marry his daughter-and not even his biological daughter, not technically. "Well, Rose and I are getting married," he blurted out.

Pete smiled. "In a couple of weeks? That's a bit soon, isn't it?"

"Actually," the Doctor replied, "that's for the honeymoon. We were planning on getting married as soon as that paperwork's done."

Pete was silent for a moment, the Doctor unable to read his face. Finally, he spoke. "I never got the chance to thank you, before," he said seriously, "for Jackie, and for Rose, for that matter."

"I was just-" the Doctor began, but Pete held up a hand, and continued.

"I couldn't believe it at first, that I had my wife back," he said, "but I realized she really wasn't the same woman I'd married. They may have been the same person before her Pete had died, but twenty years makes a big difference. I didn't want to see the differences, thinking I couldn't love her as well if she wasn't exactly the same. But eventually, I had to open my eyes. There was no chance for us if I kept making assumptions, not expecting anything to have changed. But in the end, it was better to see her for who she really was."

This is a weird "thank you", thought the Doctor, but he figured Pete was trying to make a point about him and Rose. What point, exactly?

"What I'm trying to say," Pete mercifully went on, "is that it took time. And I know you've got way more experience than I have, from what Rose tells me, but maybe not in this particular area?" He quirked an eyebrow at the Doctor, who had to nod. "Alright, then. Well, it's been five years since you last saw Rose, and she's been through a lot, mostly on her own. And you've been through who knows what. If you're determined to get married right at the off, that's your decision. Just make sure you're ready to tackle the surprises when they do come up."

The Doctor couldn't help but smile. "But that's what we do best," he told him.

Pete returned the smile, then looked back at the document list, making a couple of notations. "The birth certificate and driver's license should be enough to get the marriage license," Pete said. "We can get those taken care of right after the interview, if you want."

Oh, the Doctor liked Pete.

Rose decided to tackle unpacking her "room" while the Doctor talked to her Dad. She hadn't even opened the duffle from the TARDIS since the Doctor had given it to her yesterday evening.

She wasn't surprised to find that the bag was much bigger on the inside. The duffle itself would come in handy in this world, but she set to work sorting through its contents, interested to see what the TARDIS had packed for her.

Oh, how she missed that beautiful ship.

Rose was surrounded by a few substantial piles within a matter of minutes. There were two piles of clothes on her bed, one for clothes she wanted to keep, and one for clothes there was no way in this universe she intended to wear again. Yes, her tastes had changed somewhat between nineteen and twenty-six. There were another couple of piles on the floor beside her, one for junk and one for keepsakes.

She estimated she was about halfway through the bag's contents when her Mum knocked on her open doorframe. "Mind if I come in?" she asked.

"Sure," said Rose, shifting one of the piles on her bed, so that Jackie could sit down.

She didn't say anything at first, so Rose just kept unpacking. Finally, she asked, "This all fit in there?"

"Yup," Rose replied with a grin.

Jackie shook her head. "Should expect it, I s'pose," she said. After another minute of silence, she said, "So, you an' the Doctor, gonna make it official, huh?"

Rose smiled. "Like you said, not much of a surprise, is it?"

Jackie smiled, but said seriously, "But he's different, yeah?"

Rose wondered how to answer. "So am I," she said at last, "but everythin' that matters is still the same."

Her Mum smiled widely at that, and nodded. "That's how it was with your father," she said. "He'd changed so much from when I knew him, but he was still the man I'd married. Had more of a time convincin' him I wasn't the same woman he knew," she added. "Don't know what happened to that other me, but she didn't deserve him."

Rose remembered her brief meeting with the alternate Jackie Tyler, the woman who hadn't wanted children, who was all fancy parties and diamond-studded ear-pods, who looked down on the "staff", and who was separating from her husband. As hard as it had been, she was glad her Mum had lived the life she had.

"But it took a while," Jackie went on. "You know how long it was before he even asked me on a date," she laughed. That had been a sight. Mum and Dad going out on a date, as nervous as a couple of teenagers. They'd been living in the mansion with Pete for months, but either Rose or Mickey had stayed near her almost the entire time until then.

"I know, Mum," Rose told her. "But me an' the Doctor, we haven't been apart that long. For him, it's only been a couple years. An' the changes? They're just little things, but they make it even easier for us to be together. He's still the Doctor," she added, emphatically.

Rose was distracted from her Mum's reply by the next item she pulled from the duffle. It was a bracelet, made of a kind of silvery metal, with pinks and turquoise twisted throughout. It was made of such fine strands of the metal that it felt almost like cloth. "What was that?" she asked distractedly, realizing her Mum had been talking.

"Not important," Jackie said, moving to sit next to Rose on the floor. "That's a pretty thing; where'd you get it?" she asked.

She remembered exactly where she'd gotten it. "The Doctor bought it for me," she said, "at the asteroid bazaar where I got you that bezoolium," she said.

"Bezooli-what?" Jackie asked.

Rose realized she probably didn't remember. She'd given it to her right before the whole Torchwood incident, and it was probably still back at the Powell Estate in parallel earth. "Never mind," Rose said. But as she laid the bracelet over the wrist of her left hand and worked the clasp, she looked at her ring. The diamond-like gems were almost woven into the band, a band of the same silvery-swirled material. "He must have gotten the ring then, too," she said, quietly.

That meant, she thought, he had already wanted to propose, long before he'd become human. That was, what, before they'd ever met Chloe, right? Just before the 2012 Olympics? She thought about all they'd done since then, seeing his words and actions in a new light. Had he meant to propose when he'd taken her to the flying stingray planet? He'd seemed so nervous, despite his calm exterior. He'd asked her how long she was going to stay with him.

He hadn't just been trying to get rid of her when he'd first sent her to Pete's world.

He'd been willing to share his life with her, even knowing he'd have to watch her grow old and die.

She felt her Mum's arm around her shoulder. "Shh, don't cry, Love," Jackie said.

Rose swiped at her eyes, realizing tears had welled up without her knowing. "I'm fine," she said, looking at her Mum. "An' I just love him so much," she said with a smile, letting her Mum pull her into a hug.

To be continued.

This story will go on as long as I have meaningful stuff to add, in addition to fluffiness. I don't want it to turn into a day-to-day account of ordinary life, so stop me if it seems to be going in that direction!


	10. Dating and Dancing

Chapter 10, Dating and Dancing

Rose, with Jackie's help, shifted the piles of clothes and knickknacks to be discarded into boxes. She could give them to charity later that week. When they had finished, Jackie went to leave Rose's room, but stopped by the nightstand.

"What's the spaghetti pot doin' up here?" she asked. "You're not havin' trouble sleepin' again, are you?"

Rose laughed, shaking her head. "No, I was just showin' the Doctor my idea, 'cause he was havin' trouble with the quiet."

"Oh, well then," her Mum said, bending down to unplug the fan, picking up the pot to take it with her. "I'll just set this up in his room for 'im."

"Thanks," was all Rose managed, as she watched her disappear through the doorway.

"Yeah," she muttered to herself once her Mum had gone. It had been very, very nice to fall asleep with the Doctor last night, but it was probably a very, very good idea not to repeat the incident just yet. Whether her Mum had been making an assumption or a suggestion about their sleeping arrangements, Rose wasn't going to push her luck.

They'd be married in just a few days, anyway, she thought, grinning.

--

Her Mum had hardly gone when the Doctor appeared in Rose's doorway.

"Pick out something nice," he told her, then turned to leave.

"Hang on," she called, climbing to her feet.

The Doctor turned back, leaning in the doorway.

"How'd it go with Dad?" she asked.

"Fine. Great," he said hurriedly. "Got an interview tomorrow, and we can get the marriage license after that. But for now, just find something nice to wear for dinner, okay?"

"What's the rush?" Rose asked. "Dinner's not usually 'til six. It's only a quarter to five, now."

"Yes, but the limo'll be here at half past," he said, as if she should know all this.

"Limo?" she asked, with a smile.

The Doctor's hand was on his neck, and Rose was fairly certain he was beginning to blush. "I'm taking you out to dinner?" he half asked, half answered.

She walked up to him, and gave him a quick kiss. "'S all ya had to say," she said, turning to the mound of clothes in the "keep" pile.

The Doctor was still standing by the door, now with a smile on his face.

"Now, shoo," Rose told him, grinning over her shoulder.

"Ah, yes, see you in a bit," he said, backing into the hallway and closing the door behind him.

Rose shook her head as she sorted through the outfits in front of her.

--

"It's a surprise," the Doctor told Rose for the sixth time as they rode in the back of the limousine. To be honest, he couldn't have told her where they were going, even if he'd wanted to.

Pete had suggested celebrating their engagement, and since the Doctor was new to this universe, he had offered to make all the arrangements for them. Good man, Pete.

The Doctor quite enjoyed this new experience. It was one thing to try and resist Rose's wheedling when he was trying to keep a secret. It was quite another to be able to sit back, relax, and admire her--she'd ended up picking out something _very_ nice--without even having the answer she was trying to pry out of him.

When Rose wasn't asking where they were going, or, "Are we there, yet?" they talked about what they were going to do tomorrow. Rose figured then would be as good a time as any to go back to work, at least for a visit. She'd take the Doctor in for his interview, she could show him around, and then they could get the marriage license.

"What do you want to do about . . . that?" the Doctor asked.

"The license?" asked Rose.

"No, the marriage," he clarified.

"Oh, I thought we could just leave it to Mum," she said.

The Doctor stared at her. "You _are_ kidding, right?" he asked at last.

Rose laughed. "No, seriously. She'll love the chance to plan another wedding, believe me, and as long as she agrees to work within a few constraints, it'll take a lot of the pressure off of us."

"Okay, what constraints?" the Doctor asked.

"Y'know," said Rose, "like, within forty-eight hours of us getting the license, reception immediately follows the ceremony, absolutely no receiving line or anything half traditional, stuff like that."

The Doctor smiled at her. "Rose Tyler, have I ever told you you're brilliant?"

"Yeah, but you can say it again, if it'd make you feel better," she answered with a grin.

He was just about to find another way to tell her, when the limousine pulled to a halt outside of their destination.

--

The restaurant was quite cleverly contrived, the Doctor thought. There was a small waterfall and stream running through the inside, and musicians played on the patio outside, almost making the building seem inside-out. A starscape on the ceiling enhanced the effect.

They enjoyed a wonderful dinner and dessert, then the Doctor decided it was about time for some exercise. Besides, Rose had been seated across from him for the entire meal, and he'd come to the conclusion that the table was far too wide. He needed her closer.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

Rose looked up at him, chewed her lip in what he recognized as a teasing fashion, then asked, "You've got the moves?"

He smiled, instantly recognizing the reference. He stood and waked to her side, taking her proffered hand.

"Show me your moves," she told him. He helped her to her feet, and led her out onto the patio.

The musicians played under a gazebo, but the dance floor was open to the sky. The Doctor had just pulled Rose to himself, moving slowly to the music, when the first raindrops fell.

He debated staying outside anyway, but decided that the rain was rather cold, and neither he nor Rose had brought coats, and it would only make getting close to her like this more difficult in the near future if either of them became ill.

Reluctantly, he led Rose back under cover, and they summoned the limousine.

--

The Doctor was rather proud of his decision to cut the evening short, as he was able to enjoy a sleeping--and dry--Rose nestled against him all the way back to the Tyler estate.

He reluctantly woke her up only when they had arrived at the mansion.

Fortunately, the rain had long since stopped, and the stars were shining clearly in the far-enough-outside-of-the-city sky. As they stepped under the columned entryway, the Doctor pulled Rose up short of the front door.

"Care to dance?" he asked once again.

"What, here?" she asked, but her arms had snaked behind his neck.

He shrugged and settled his arms about her waist. "Well, I do owe you a dance," he said, as they began to move.

She smiled, then rested her head against his chest, allowing the Doctor to pull her even closer.

He listened to what, in this busy world, could almost pass for silence. Crickets were chirping, and he could make out the burbling of the fountains in the distance. But what took his breath was the sound--or, was it the feel?--of two hearts beating against his chest. His and Rose's.

He was complete.

--

To be continued.

Next chapter, "Torchwood".


	11. Torchwood

Chapter 11, Torchwood

"What do you want to do?"

The Doctor looked up at Rose's question. "Hmm?" he asked. They were in Rose's car, following Pete into work.

Rose glanced over at the Doctor. "What do you think you wanna do at Torchwood?" she asked.

"Not sure," the Doctor told her. "What do you do?"

He noticed her blush as she focused on the road ahead of them as she drove. "Field agent and . . . special projects, lately," she replied.

The Doctor figured he knew just what sort of special projects she'd been working on: a Dimension Cannon, and who knew how many prototypes and other ideas, all so that she could . . . come back. Well, they were both back, now.

He thought about Torchwood. Where would he fit in? It would only be temporary--well, for the next ten years or so. Okay, so he should find something he'd enjoy. He was sure he'd be able to contribute in almost any department, but what he really wanted . . . .

"Could I work with you?" the Doctor asked Rose.

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't answer right away.

"Or not," he volunteered. He understood she might be apprehensive about workplace tensions or some other such nonsense, but he couldn't deny it hurt. Just a bit.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head slightly. "That'd be great, it's just," she paused, then said, "I mean, I'll probably go back to bein' a field agent. An' you'd have to go through all the trainin' for that, includin' firearms . . . ." She glanced sidelong at him, and he smiled.

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," she answered, "but I thought you kinda had a thing about guns. You were always gettin' on Jack about his."

He shrugged. "Not so much, anymore," he said. "And that was your fault, actually," he added.

"What was?" Rose asked.

"The whole gun thing," he told her, remembering exactly when it had happened. He'd been so ready to kill . . . . "Remember back in Utah, Van Statten's alien museum?"

"The Dalek," Rose said, quietly.

"When you stood between me and that Dalek, I don't know, I just felt disgusted with myself. I'd been berating myself for my part in the Time War, and then I'd picked up that gun, ready to jump right back into battle--or, execution as it would have been. And then, when I regenerated, I guess it just carried over as sort of a point of pride. You should have seen me when I ran back into UNIT."

"So what's changed, then?" asked Rose.

"I guess the regeneration," he said. "This one, the metacrisis," he clarified. "I realized how hypocritical it was for me to be looking down on anyone with a gun, when I still did more damage than any single firearm could."

"But," Rose said, hesitantly, "you still wiped out the Daleks. Not that I'm in any way complainin'!" she added, quickly.

"And that's my point, exactly," he told her. "Whether it's a gun, or a delta wave, or an atmospheric converter, or Dalekanium power feeds, or whatever, it's how and when they're used that matters."

Rose was quiet for a few moments, then asked, "So, you wanna be my partner?"

The Doctor smiled. "If you want," he said. Then, "Better with two, don't you think?"

"The old team, back together?" she asked.

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake!" the Doctor said, and they both laughed.

--

The Doctor was interviewed by the Torchwood department heads, all of whom said he'd be more than welcome to work in any area he liked. He accepted a tour of the various departments, but afterwards made it clear that he wanted to work in the field as Rose's partner.

"I'll gladly help out," he told Pete, "languages, identifying technology, whatever you need. But I really, really, don't want a desk job," he told Pete firmly.

"Well, the UFO department's going to be disappointed," Pete told him (Unidentified Fallen Objects had become the name of Torchwood's stockpile of yet-to-be-identified alien technology), "but it's your choice. Both of you," he said, including Rose.

"Yes, please," Rose said, grinning at the Doctor.

--

They had the Doctor's photo taken for his Torchwood ID and other documents. He got his ID back right away, but the forged driver's license would take several hours. Since they were at Torchwood anyway, Rose took him down to get equipped.

The Doctor was surprised when she led him to a locker labeled "Smith". "Already?" he asked, surprised that they'd set aside a locker just for him, so soon.

Rose shook her head. "'S not 'John Smith', silly. This was Mickey's," she said, entering the combination and opening the locker door.

He noticed that the locker wasn't very personalized. Or, rather, it had been stripped of personalization. There were pieces of adhesive tape left inside the door, indicating where pictures had probably hung and been removed.

"Looks like he took what he wanted with him," Rose said, confirming the Doctor's assumption as she sorted through what was left. "Uniform won't fit, but the vest's adjustable, an' you can use the rest of the gear," she told him.

Instead of handing said gear over to the Doctor, she pulled out the uniform and closed the locker. "Now, it's _John_ Smith's," she told him.

--

They still had another hour to kill, so Rose took the Doctor to the firing range. She admitted that she'd spent a good deal of her off time down there, just to relieve the stress of whatever she was working on.

"It wasn't like I wanted to kill things," she said, passing up the man-shaped silhouettes for the simpler bull's-eye targets. "The whole mind-body concentration thing just helped." She handed the Doctor the necessary hearing protection and safety glasses, before checking out a couple of semi-automatics and ammunition.

They set up in adjoining stalls, and Rose gave him a quick tutorial on the particular handgun she'd selected.

Once their targets were set up, Rose noticed the Doctor was glancing over at her, just as she was looking back at him. It seemed they were each a bit nervous about their performance in front of the other. Rose just smiled at him, then turned back to her lane, focusing on her grip, her breathing, and her sight alignment. She fired off a couple of shots, then heard the Doctor do the same.

Light was clearly visible through the center of both their targets.

She looked back over at the Doctor, and this time, her smile held a challenge.

Rose spent her entire clip, and pulled the target back in, noting proudly that she'd completely destroyed the center of her target, within a one-inch diameter. The Doctor had retrieved his target, as well, so she peeked over into his stall to see how he'd done.

She didn't have to peek. He handed her the target with a smug grin on his face.

She bit her lip, trying very hard not to smile, but couldn't help but give in. It looked like he wouldn't have any trouble with the marksmanship training. A few well-placed shots had turned the center group into a heart, with the letter's "I" and "U" on either side of it.

She gently elbowed him as he moved behind her to look over her shoulder. "Arrogant Time Lord," she muttered, still smiling.

--

To be continued.

A bit of myself seeping through on this one; yes, I'm proud of my expert pistol and rifle badges :)


	12. More Plans

Chapter 12, More Plans

After dinner that evening, Rose found herself seated at the breakfast table with her Mum, taking her through the very basic basics of what they wanted for their wedding.

The Doctor was off somewhere, she suspected entertaining Tony. The two of them had gotten along famously at dinner, building mashed potato volcanoes on their plates, filling them with gravy, then creating massive "eruptions" when they dug in their spoons.

Rose hoped that they were having more fun than she was at present. "Ya can't plan a weddin' in two days!" her Mum exclaimed, still not getting it. "Less than that, even."

Rose rolled her eyes. "At least that'll put it on a Saturday, yeah?" she said. They'd gotten the license that afternoon, after not even fifteen minutes of paperwork. It looked like her Mum was going to be more of an obstacle.

"There's no time," Jackie continued. "How're ya gonna get dresses for the bridesmaids, or get invitations out, or anythin'?"

"Easy," Rose countered. "No bridesmaids and no invitations. We'll have you an' Dad for witnesses, an' for guests, anyone you can get a hold of that wants to come. The rest can just find out about it all after."

"We'll have to rent a hall," Jackie began, but Rose cut in.

"No hall," she said, firmly. "We can have the ceremony right here, like you an' Dad did, then the reception can start as soon as we say 'I do'."

"What, no rice? No--"

"No nothin'," Rose answered. "You can start servin' dinner while we're sayin' the vows, for all I care."

From her mother's silence, Rose suspected she was finally getting the idea. Jackie reached out for the pad of paper and a pen, and began making notes.

"Well," she said, somewhat reluctantly, "the minister shouldn't be a problem. We can get Reverend Simmonds again. He's retired, so he's usually available. An' he was really understandin' when we asked him for a real weddin' when everyone else thought we were renewin' our vows. He should be pretty flexible."

Her Mum was starting to get into it, Rose could tell.

"Florist, music," she muttered as she wrote. "Any special songs or anythin'?" Rose just shook her head. "Cathy can handle the food and cake," Jackie continued, referring to their staff cook. "With as short notice as it is, we'll probably have fewer than we normally do at Pete's parties."

Rose felt herself relax considerably as she watched her work. "Thanks, Mum," she told her.

Jackie smiled at her. "Oh, sweetheart, don't worry about it. At least you're gettin' married, right? An' you're not runnin' off and elopin', I've got that much; more than I'd expect from the Doctor, anyway," she added.

Rose leaned over and gave her a hug. "Speakin' of, I'd better go see what he's up to," she said, standing up from the table.

"You're off tomorrow?" Jackie asked before Rose could leave.

"Yeah, I was just stopping in this mornin', but I'm still on vacation," she told her.

"Good, 'cause simple as you want this to be, you still need a dress, an' so will I if I'm gonna be the maid of honor," Jackie said.

"I think I can allow that," Rose said with a smile. "Better than a bachelorette party, that's for sure."

--

"Shopping?" the Doctor asked, horrified, from his prone position on the floor.

Rose had explained how her Mum had agreed to handle the wedding arrangements, but that Rose had agreed to a shopping trip tomorrow.

The Doctor had done a remarkable job of listening, while Tony drove dump trucks across his back.

"It's just her an' me, you dunce," she told him, to his obvious relief. "You an' Dad've already got tuxes."

"Well, you've got dresses," he told her.

"Not a weddin' dress," she reminded him.

He sighed, laying his head in his folded arms. "What am I going to do all day, then?" he asked.

"You get to watch Tony!" Rose announced. "And, you could plan the honeymoon," she suggested, realizing they hadn't even discussed it yet.

"Already done," the Doctor said, dismissively.

"Really?" Rose asked.

The Doctor lifted his head up, surprised, as if he'd only just realized what he'd said. "Um, yes?"

"When'd you do that?" asked Rose. "And how?"

"It's a surprise," he said. "And Pete helped."

Rose grinned. "So, when do we leave?" she asked. She hoped he'd planned it for this weekend.

"As soon as you're officially mine," he replied, smiling up at her.

Rose's own smile broadened. She was going to be "officially his", and vice versa. "So, what, right after the reception?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I was thinking more after 'man and wife'."

Rose laughed. She should have expected him not to waste any time. "Sounds just fine to me," she told him, kneeling on the floor so that she could snatch her little brother on his next pass and flip him upside down.

The Doctor rolled over, and went for the little tyke's knees, sending him straight into a laughing fit.

--

To be continued.


	13. Rise and Shine

A quick chapter with a bit more fluff, just to get back into the swing of things. Sorry for the posting delay; enjoy!

Dedicated to lyin' for my 100th review (on this story alone!)

--

Chapter 13, Rise and Shine

The Doctor woke earlier than usual on Friday morning. A quick mental check told him he'd barely gotten four hours of sleep, but he was feeling quite refreshed.

He sighed with relief, lying back on his bed in the pre-dawn darkness. When he'd first arrived in Pete's world, three days ago now, he'd slept longer than he'd thought possible. Since then, he'd slept for shorter and shorter periods at night, leading him to hope that he wouldn't need quite as much as a human.

This confirmed it. Even if he needed a full four hours from then on, at least it was half of what was recommended for normal humans. He was half (or at least part) human, after all. He could live with that.

The Doctor rolled out of bed, washed, and dressed in a new suit. He had plans for this morning. Since Jackie was intent on whisking Rose away for a day of dress shopping, he meant to get as much quality time with his fiancée as possible before she disappeared.

He opened his bedroom door, causing the man outside his room to drop the bundle he had been holding.

"Ah-ha!" shouted the Doctor, quickly bending down to retrieve the fallen item.

It was the suit he'd worn last night when he'd taken Rose out for dinner. Only now, it was cleaned and pressed.

"I was wondering when I was going to meet you," he told the startled man, who was still standing in front of his door. Tossing the garment behind him onto his bed, the Doctor extended his hand. "Doctor John Smith," he said jovially. "And you are?"

"Williams. George Williams," the man replied, hesitantly, shaking the Doctor's hand. After a moment's silence, he added, "Laundry services."

"George! Lovely to meet you," the Doctor said, finally releasing George's hand, but steering him towards the staircase with his arm slung across his shoulders. "So, how many more of you are out and about at this hour?"

--

The Tyler mansion didn't usually have an extensive staff, but there were a few fixtures in the household. Plus--Jackie not being one to waste time--additional staff had already been called in to prepare for tomorrow's event.

So it was that the Doctor found himself in the kitchen at three in the morning, happily getting to know George, the laundry man; Cathy, the cook; her assistant cooks, Fred and Alice; and Geoffrey, the on-call, all-around, butler-type night . . . guy.

Cathy and crew had only just arrived, and were preparing the menu based on the guidelines and estimated number of guests Jackie had given them. Fortunately for the Doctor, his demeanor becoming considerably less rude when he was well-rested and not only just recovering from regeneration sickness, he was able to persuade the cooks to prepare a small but special breakfast-for-two in addition to their other tasks.

When the sun at last appeared, the Doctor felt it was no longer too early to wake Rose, but was confident that he'd have a few hours yet before Jackie tried to steal her away from him. He took the breakfast tray, bid farewell to his newfound friends, and left the kitchen to climb back upstairs.

--

The Doctor knocked just quietly enough on Rose's door for her to hear if she were awake, but hopefully not to wake her if she were still sleeping. At the lack of response, he carefully opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it silently behind him.

There was a large space cleared on her nightstand (it was where the spaghetti pot had been set up, he recalled), so he set the breakfast tray down and sat lightly on the edge of her bed.

Her face was turned toward him, away from the sunrise. He lowered his head to whisper, "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," before gently kissing her lips.

She responded almost immediately, running the fingers of one hand through his hair, pulling him closer. Then, her hand dropped back to the bed, and she rolled over, away from him, quite distinctly murmuring "Doctor".

He grinned.

She was still sleeping.

He couldn't resist. He leaned over her, and asked, "Are you asleep?"

"No," came her reply, slightly muffled by the pillow she'd snuggled deeper into.

"I love you," he said, smiling at her small snore.

"Quite right, too," she replied, turning just enough so that the light from the window fell across her face. She blinked a few times, brought her arm up across her eyes, then froze.

His grin widened.

"Doctor?" she asked, all traces of sleep gone from her voice.

"Rose?" he asked in reply.

Slowly, she rolled onto her back, lifting her arm enough to peep out at him. She dropped her arm to her side, then rolled her eyes, looking at the ceiling. "Thought I was dreamin'," she said at last.

He was sure his smile would split his face. "Yeah, seemed like a good dream, too," he said.

She blushed. "What'd I say?" she asked.

"Not much," he evaded. "Breakfast?"

--

To Be Continued.


	14. Girls' Day Out

Not only do I not own Doctor Who, I don't own a BlackBerry, either.

--

Chapter 14, Girls' Day Out

"An' you can forget about goin' home anytime before lunch, so I suggest ya just make the best of it, and try somethin' on!"

Rose sighed and turned to the dress displays, hoping the show of interest would placate her Mum.

Jackie, meanwhile, apparently deciding to ignore her own advice about dress shopping, took a seat and began typing furiously on her StrawBerry.

Rose shook her head, smiling, as she fingered the fabric of the nearest wedding dress. She remembered the Doctor ooh-ing and aah-ing over the handheld device when he'd first seen Pete's.

StrawBerries were much more advanced than their contemporary counterpart, the BlackBerry, in their home universe. Rose wasn't surprised. They'd needed something pretty sophisticated to wean the world off of their ear-pods.

Rose stopped in front of a dress that she hadn't noticed when they'd first walked into the shop. She ran her hands over the embroidery and pearls, trying to picture herself in it. She bit her lip, imagining the Doctor seeing her in it.

She grinned to herself, remembering her wakeup call from that morning.

She'd been having a lovely, mixed-up dream, completely revolving around the Doctor. She'd found herself in a hospital basement, teasing her first Doctor about Jack being like him, _only with dating and dancing_.

To demonstrate his own dancing prowess, the Doctor had immediately whisked her around the room to the strains of "In the Mood". She was spun away from him, then tugged back into the arms of her second Doctor. They'd been dancing more slowly, to a tune she couldn't place. Not that she'd complained, as he'd framed her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

The scene had shifted, and she'd found herself in the arms of her new Doctor, just as they had been last night, on the doorstep of the mansion. He'd continued the kiss, holding her even more tightly, more possessively than the Doctor ever would have dared before . . . and then she'd woken up.

He'd been right there beside her, sitting on the edge of her bed. He'd said something about a good dream, leading her to wonder if she'd said or done anything embarrassing. He'd tried to distract her with breakfast, but not before she had the presence of mind to realize that the taste and tingling sensation on her lips weren't from any dream.

Unfortunately, Jackie had been up and about sooner than either of them had expected, cutting short the Doctor's surprise breakfast in bed. Before either of them could do much more than say _'bye_, Rose had been bundled off to the nearest, earliest-opening bridal boutique her Mum could find.

She wondered how he was getting on back at the house. As Pete was still going in to work today, the Doctor was left in charge of Tony until the babysitter arrived.

Coming back to herself, Rose asked the store attendant if she could try on this particular dress.

She passed her Mum on the way to the changing rooms, overhearing her call to the wedding coordinator. Once again, Rose was amazed at how much could be accomplished just by throwing enough money at problems. Rose had expected their short-notice wedding would cut down on the frills, but Jackie was making a herculean effort to see that that wasn't the case. Caterers, florists, DJs, you name it were all being arranged for tomorrow, and as of this morning, all from her Mum's StrawBerry.

Rose looked at herself in the mirror, standing on tiptoe to simulate the high-heels she'd buy later. The dress was certainly flattering. It was a fairly traditional number, white, off the shoulder and not too poufy.

The attendant was showing her various veils, hairpieces, and necklaces, but Rose knew the perfect accessory for it: the Doctor in his black tuxedo.

"Got it, Mum," Rose announced, as she stepped out of the dressing room.

"'Kay, lemme know if you have any trouble," Jackie said into her phone, before disconnecting and looking up at Rose. She smiled, standing and walking a few laps around her daughter. "Oh, honey, it's beautiful," she said, finally stopping her circling to kiss Rose on the cheek.

--

If Rose thought her first-stop dress purchase was going to cut short their shopping trip, she had another thing coming. Wedding dress shopping was easy. Mother of the Bride/Matron of Honour dress shopping was a nightmare.

First off, there were a lot more colors to choose from. Jackie pointed out that Rose had refused to pick a color theme for the wedding, so it was up to her to find something appropriate.

Secondly, she had to find the right blend of styles. The traditional mothers' outfits were mostly suits, whereas the dresses for maids of honour could give most prom dresses a run for their money.

Thirdly, despite the financial resources at her disposal, Jackie was bound and determined to find a bargain. This automatically prohibited her from buying anything at the first three stores they visited, regardless of how _perfect_ any of the earlier dresses appeared.

They stopped for lunch after store number five. Her Mum was reluctantly admitting that she wanted to go back to the first boutique they'd visited to buy the dress she'd seen there.

While they ate, Jackie showed Rose the electronic invitation she'd had the coordinator send out earlier that morning:

_Peter and Jacqueline Tyler  
Cordially invite you  
To the marriage of their daughter_

_Rose Marion Tyler_

_to_

_Doctor John Smith_

_Saturday 16 May 20.11  
At Ten O'Clock_

There it was, in black and white (well, blue and white, actually, as her Mum had personalized the display screen).

Rose was going to marry the Doctor. Tomorrow!

"It's perfect, Mum," she said with a smile, handing over the StrawBerry and digging back into her chips.

--

To Be Continued.

FYI: The "BlackBerry" was so named because someone thought the little buttons looked like the seeds on strawberries. However, "straw" was equated with "slow", so the name was changed. This useless tidbit brought to you courtesy of Wikipedia.


	15. Boys' Day In

Chapter 15, Boys' Day In

After Rose, Jackie, and Pete had all left the mansion, the Doctor took the baby monitor with him into the library. Tony didn't usually wake until about eight-thirty, meaning the Doctor had a good hour and a half to kill.

He had just finished this universe's version of the collected works of Charles Dickens (not nearly as captivating as he'd hoped), when Tony's voice came over the monitor, calling for _Mummy_. Suppressing a shudder at the speaker-distorted voice, he went upstairs to collect the little terror.

The Doctor opened the nursery door to find Tony sliding down from his bed.

"Mummy," the boy called again, before turning to face the door. "Docker!" he said, smiling and running up to grab the Doctor's leg.

"Morning, Tony," the Doctor greeted in turn, prying him off of his leg and holding him upside-down in front of his face. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Tony just giggled.

The Doctor flipped him back over, setting him on his feet. "Well, Daddy's at work, Mummy's taken Rose out to the store, so that leaves just you and me," he explained. "What do you think we should do first?"

"Bekfus!" Tony supplied.

"Breakfast it is," the Doctor told him, picking the youngster up and giving him an airplane ride all the way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Cathy was happy to whip up some pancakes--enough for Tony's breakfast as well as the Doctor's second breakfast--since her crew was between bakings at the moment.

Tony sat at the table in his booster seat, quite animatedly telling the Doctor all about his favorite Muppets between bites of syrupy pancake. The Doctor was relieved to discover that Jim Henson, at least, seemed to have left a familiar legacy in this universe.

By the time the babysitter, Mary, had arrived at ten, Tony had had all traces of syrup removed from his face and hair, and been changed into his play clothes.

Although the Doctor was able to turn over responsibility for the tot, he wasn't released from his entertainment duties. Tony pleaded with the half-Time Lord to play with him on the backyard jungle gym, and the Doctor found himself unable to resist.

When Mary finally declared that it was nap time, the Doctor was seriously reconsidering his decision not to buy a jeans/t-shirt ensemble. He'd had the forethought to remove his suit jacket, but his dress shirt was soaked through with sweat, and his trousers were grass-stained. _Good thing I've made friends with George_, he thought, as he made his way into the mansion to change.

To his surprise, the main hall had been transformed during the few hours they'd been outside. The wedding coordinator, Melissa, and her entourage had arrived and set to work.

The room was filled with round dinner tables, all with chairs arranged on only one side so that the guests would be facing away from the grand staircase. At the opposite end of the room was a dais, obviously meant to serve as the site of the wedding itself.

"Doctor Smith?"

The Doctor turned to see Melissa striding up to him. "Yes?" he asked.

She showed him her StrawBerry handheld. "I was just going to forward the invitations," she said. "I know I'm not supposed to burden you with questions, but I thought you might like to take a look?"

The Doctor took the device, and smiled as he read the e-invite. "Just perfect," he told her. "Thank you."

He made his way up the stairs, three at a time.

He was going to marry Rose!

--

Pete came home early that afternoon. They sent the sitter home, then called Rose, but Jackie took the call. She told them she was going to the spa with Rose, but they could all meet for dinner, if they wanted. Just something casual, unless Pete wanted Jackie to buy another dress while they were out.

Pete told her that casual would be just fine.

The Doctor was eager to see Rose again. Truth be told, he was getting a bit nervous. All afternoon, he'd caught murmurs from the wedding staff. Little comments like, _rushed_, and _so soon_, and _lucky if it lasts a week_ had not gone unnoticed.

Somehow, without Rose there in front of him to counter it, he'd gotten the idea that maybe they really were rushing things. Was she beginning to regret it? Was that why Jackie didn't let Rose talk on the phone? Was she keeping her daughter away while she calmed her nerves? Or worse, while she tried to talk Rose _out_ of marrying him?

The Doctor was pacing in the library when Pete found him. "Not nervous, are you?" Pete asked.

The Doctor looked up, ready to deny any such thing, but stopped at the knowing smile on the man's face. "Maybe just a bit," he admitted with a small smile of his own.

Pete sat down on one of the chairs by the unlit fireplace. "If you're worried 'bout Rose," Pete told him, "you don't have to be. Believe me, I've known her for the past five years, and I've seen her these past few days." He shook his head. "There's no question she wants this."

The Doctor slumped into the chair opposite, running his hands through his hair before resting his elbows on his knees. At last, unsure of what else he could say, he asked, "Where's Tony?"

"Asleep, again," Pete told him. "Seems you really wore him out on the gymnasium this morning," he said, laughing.

The Doctor grinned. "Could almost use a nap myself," he admitted.

"All packed, then?" Pete asked.

The Doctor was honestly lost. "What?"

"For the trip," Pete said. The Doctor just stared at him. "The honeymoon?" he clarified.

"Oh! Yes, that," said the Doctor. "Forgot about that."

Pete shook his head as he stood. "Strange; some guys think more about that than the wedding," he said, walking towards the door. "The limo to the airport'll be here by ten, so just make sure your luggage is ready before the ceremony," he told the Doctor, waiting for his nod before disappearing from view.

The Doctor looked around the room, the clock on the mantelpiece an unnecessary reminder that he still had about two hours before he'd see Rose again. Scrubbing his fingers through his hair once more, and down his face, he got to his feet and headed towards his room to see what he could do about packing.

--

To be continued.


	16. One More Sleep

Chapter 16, One More Sleep

Dinner was almost useless to the Doctor as a means of gauging Rose's mood. They were seated across from each other, so he couldn't even hold her hand, let alone speak to her quietly.

Fortunately, after dinner, Jackie decided to drive back to the mansion with Pete and Tony, leaving Rose to take the Doctor in Jackie's car.

As soon as they'd said a brief goodbye in the parking lot, and watched her family drive away, Rose took the Doctor completely by surprise, pulling him around to her and kissing him firmly on the lips.

His surprise caused him only a moment's hesitation before he was actively returning the gesture.

Far too soon for his liking, Rose broke the kiss. She smiled up at him, playing with his tie. "I missed you," she said a bit shyly.

Well, there were a few fears put to rest. "Did you?" the Doctor asked innocently, smiling back at her as he fingered her hair. He ducked his head to give her just a quick peck on the lips. "Missed you, too," he whispered.

Rose pulled away to unlock his door for him, then walked around to the driver's side.

"You know," the Doctor told her as he got in, "I can drive."

"You have a _license_," Rose corrected him, fastening her seatbelt. "Doesn't mean you can drive, at least not on a public road, and certainly not in my Mum's car." She started the engine as she spoke, and headed for home.

"I _can_ drive!" the Doctor insisted. "Even had a car, once. Just . . . not for a while." He could tell she wasn't convinced, but decided to let the matter lie. "Ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

Rose gave a short laugh, then said, "I'd better be, after today." She nodded her head towards the back, and the Doctor twisted in his seat to see the bags and boxes piled in the back seat.

"Thought that's what the boot was for," he said.

"'S already full," Rose told him. "Mum takes her shoppin' very seriously. There'd be more, 'cept I honestly couldn't say what kind of weather to expect for the honeymoon, so she couldn't make me shop for that, too."

It was obvious she was hoping for some sort of clue along those lines. Well, she did need to pack, the Doctor mentally conceded. "Oh, you can probably plan on about what it's like here, maybe a bit warmer. Low to mid twenties, I'd say."

She was looking ahead at the road, but he could see her tongue playing along her teeth. "And, should I bring a swimsuit?" she asked, at last.

"I packed mine," he answered, failing to mention the fact that it was only because Pete had thought to give him an old pair of trunks earlier that evening. Then, because the thought just came to him and he really couldn't resist, he added, "But you don't need to if you don't want to wear one."

He watched her nod absently, until her mouth opened and she glanced quickly over at him, a rather shocked smile on her face. "Did you just imply what I think you just implied?" she asked.

He quickly removed all traces of amusement from his face. "Rose Tyler, whatever do you mean?" he asked.

She just smiled and shook her head, apparently not buying his feigned ignorance.

--

When they pulled into the garage, the Doctor made to help with carrying Rose's purchases into the mansion. However, he was stopped short from even opening the back door of the car by Rose's "Aaa-a-ah!"

He jerked his hand away from the handle, and looked at her. "What'd I do?" he asked.

"Just . . . get Mum, a'right?" she told him, shooing him away, towards the house. "She'd kill me if I let you see the dress. Told me so, herself."

"I'm going to see it tomorrow," he tried reasoning, suddenly very eager to see what all the fuss was about.

Jackie's voice came from behind him. "'An' you can wait 'til then, can't you?" she asked.

The Doctor spun to look at her, then back at Rose, noting with horror the mirrored hands-on-hips poses. "I'll be in my room, then," he said meekly, cautiously moving past Jackie and into the main house.

"An' stay in there," Jackie told him as he passed. "You're not seein' the bride, either, before the weddin'."

"What?!" he asked, shocked. "That's twelve hours from now!" he informed her, not quite as calmly as he probably should have.

"It's tradition!" Jackie shot back, not backing down an inch.

Rose saved him from whatever words were planning on coming out of his mouth next. "I'll be up to say g'night," she told him from her place beside the car.

The Doctor was slightly mollified, but Jackie rounded on her daughter. "Bed by midnight," she told her, sternly.

The Doctor took the opportunity to back quietly into the house.

--

It was just past eleven when a soft knock finally sounded on his door. The Doctor answered it to find Rose standing in the hallway. "Can I come in?" she asked.

"Jackie gone?" he asked, peering out over her shoulder to check for himself.

"The coast is clear," she said, grinning at him. He stepped back, allowing her to enter, then closed the door behind her. "Just came by to say g'ni--"

He didn't really see the need for her to finish her sentence, silencing her with a kiss.

She clung tightly to him, giving as good as she got, while he shuffled her back a step or two until she was against the wall. Yes, he'd gone the better part of the day without seeing her, but he was still less than excited at the prospect of not being allowed to see her again until ten hours, forty-four minutes, and sixteen seconds from now.

After a few minutes, he broke the kiss reluctantly, once again mentally bemoaning the loss of his respiratory bypass as he took a few, quick breaths.

"G'night," said Rose breathlessly, completing her earlier sentence and impressing the Doctor with her focus, before she pulled him back to her for another, even more intense kiss.

When they finally parted, the Doctor rested his forehead against hers. "Good night," he said, making no move to send her on her way. He just soaked in her smile for a moment before asking, "Finished packing?"

"Yeah," she told him, her hands playing with the hairs on the back of his neck. "Gotta say, that duffle . . . . I mean, I've gotten used to travellin' light, but one bag between the two of us?" She smiled. "Fantastic."

He grinned back at her.

She glanced over his shoulder. Without a word, she disentangled herself from him, a confused look on her face.

He let her go and watched curiously as she walked further into the room.

"What're you doin'?" she asked. She had crossed the room, and was now fingering the suit he had hung on the outside of his wardrobe.

"Getting ready for tomorrow," he said, thinking it should be obvious.

"What happened to the tux we bought?" she asked, dropping her hand and turning to face him.

The Doctor scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I was going to wear it, but then I got to thinking," he said, reaching out to brush at some lint on the sleeve of the suit. "I've never had very much luck in tuxes, including in this very house."

Rose gaped at him. "Are you bein' supersticious?" He opened his mouth to deny any such thing, but she went on. "After the fuss you made about Mum's traditions, you're not gonna wear a perfectly good tuxedo 'cause you're afraid of, what, Cybermen?"

"I'm not . . . _afraid_ . . . of Cybermen, or anything else," he defended.

"So what's wrong with the tux?" Rose pressed.

"What's wrong with the suit?" the Doctor asked.

Rose looked at it. "It's just . . . a suit," she replied.

"I thought you liked it," he said. She had been there when he bought it, after all.

"I do," she admitted, "it's just . . . well, can't you wear the tux?" she pleaded, turning back to him.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "_Why _are you so eager to get me into a tux?" he asked.

He watched as, to his surprise, she blushed. Then, walking up very close to him, she looked him up and down, biting her lower lip. "I'm not eager to get you _into_ a tux," she said quietly, then slipped past him and out of the room.

"Well then, why--" he asked himself aloud, stopping when he replayed her words in his mind, noting the emphasis on "into". He swallowed, turning back to the wardrobe. "The tux it is, then," he said, tossing the suit aside.

--

To be continued . . . tomorrow's the big day!


	17. Wedding Bells

Disclaimer: I own neither Doctor Who, nor Hootie, nor the Blowfish.

The final chapter! Unbeta'd as of yet . . . .

--

Chapter 17, Wedding Bells

The Doctor woke at half past four. He gave his tux another once-over, and checked in his drawers for any little thing he might have forgotten to pack in their luggage. He even re-laced his black Converses, thinking longingly of how the TARDIS had always known just how he liked the laces crossed.

Satisfied his preparations were complete, he dressed in a spare suit--no point in exposing the tux to five hours of potential harm before the wedding--and made to leave his room.

The chair in the hallway rather impeded his departure.

As soon as the door opened, the woman in the chair turned around and jumped to her feet. It seemed she had been dozing during her vigil.

"Doctor Smith!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice mindful of the hour.

"Just Doctor . . . sorry if this seems rude, but who are you and what are you doing?" He recognized her as one of the wedding coordinator's assistants, but couldn't recall her name.

"Ah, um, Debbie Warner," she said. "I'm supposed to get your ring size." While she spoke, she had reached into the satchel next to the chair, and withdrawn a jingling mass of sizing rings.

The Doctor just looked at her.

"Um, Mrs. Tyler picked out the bands, but we need to get them sized before the ceremony," she said, holding out the rings to the Doctor. "Just find the one that fits the best."

He took the rings and began trying them on. "How long have you been sitting there?" he asked while he struggled to remove a ring that was just a bit too small.

"Oh, since three," she answered. "They said you were an early riser."

He returned the sizing rings to her, holding up the one that fit.

"Thank you so much!" she said cheerily, noting the size before dropping the rings back into the satchel. She immediately retrieved her StrawBerry from the same bag, and typed out a message or note on the subject.

"Happy to be of service," the Doctor told her. "Was there anything else you needed?"

She looked up at him, startled. "Oh, yes, sorry, you're not allowed to leave the room," she said.

Once again, the Doctor just looked at her.

"Um," she began again, "I can take your breakfast order to the cooks, but Mrs. Tyler said you're not allowed out and about until she's up to run interference between you and the bride-to-be."

--

Along with breakfast, the Doctor requested that the chessboard from the library be brought to his room. It was Geoffrey, the butler, who brought the requested items.

"Thanks Jeff," said the Doctor. Before he could leave, the Doctor asked, "Have you got time for a game?"

"Not this morning, Doctor," he said. "There's a wedding to prepare," he added with a smile.

"So there is," the Doctor said, grinning. "Well, thanks anyway."

--

At nearly half past eight, Jackie herself arrived at the Doctor's door.

"Alright, get everythin' you'll need for the weddin' and take it downstairs to the breakfast parlor," she said, without so much as a "good morning".

"And hello to you, too, Jackie!" the Doctor told her springing up from his seat on the bed beside the chessboard.

"Hello," she said, grudgingly. "Rose's had her breakfast, so she'll be up here now 'till it's time. You," at this she pointed directly at him so as to prevent any misunderstanding, "are not to come upstairs again until afterwards, understood?"

"Understood," he said.

"If you need anythin', ask. Right?"

"Right."

"A'right," she said, then made to leave.

"Oh, Jackie!" the Doctor said, catching her just before she closed the door. "Can I get the duffle from Rose?"

"Duffle?" she asked.

"From the TARDIS," he clarified. "It's got our luggage in it for the honeymoon."

"I'll get it," she said. "You - wait - here."

"Yes, Mum," he told her as she left.

She didn't bother correcting him.

--

The Doctor made his way downstairs, loaded down with his wedding attire, the breakfast tray, the chessboard, and the duffle. He handed the duffle off to Melissa, who promised it would be in the limousine as soon as it arrived.

It was certainly a relief to be out of his bedroom. Still, the restriction that he couldn't go back upstairs left him checking and rechecking everything he had brought with him.

At one point, he nearly panicked when he thought he'd forgotten to bring socks, but Tony saved the day. He pulled a rolled-up pair of socks out of the Doctor's shoe, which he had been wearing and comparing to his own.

Pete and Tony were sharing the breakfast parlor with the Doctor as a sort of groomsmen's staging area. Tony had been added to the wedding party as ring bearer, and even had his own little tuxedo to wear for the occasion.

Once everything was in place in the parlor, the Doctor decided to kill some time by inspecting the setup in the front hall. With forty-five minutes to go, some guests had already arrived. They were seated at the round tables that the Doctor had seen being set up yesterday. Now, the tables were decorated with elaborate centerpieces which still failed to rival what had been done to the dais. It was covered, and overarched, and in all other possible ways bedecked with flowers and frills. A long, white carpet was draped from the dais nearly to the foot of the grand staircase. From the size of the remaining roll, he assumed it was going to be run all the way up the stairs.

He chatted with a few of the guests, none of whom had seen him before, nor heard of him until they had received their invitations.

"Oi! Doctor!"

The Doctor looked up at the call to find Jackie descending the staircase. She was already dressed for the wedding.

"Time for it," she said more quietly, once she had alighted. "Make sure these are tied on the pillow," she said, holding out two platinum wedding bands. She had almost handed them over to him, when she apparently thought better of it. "Never mind, I'll do it," she said.

Jackie waved politely at the guests as she led the Doctor back to the parlor. She quickly located the ring bearer's pillow, and tied the rings to the ribbon.

"Now," she said, facing the Doctor when she'd finished. "Twenty-five minutes to go."

_Twenty-seven minutes, thirteen seconds_, the Doctor thought, but didn't correct her.

"You get changed, and just wait here. Melissa'll come an' get you when you can come back out." Before she could leave, the Doctor stopped her.

"Jackie," he said, "thanks. For all of this."

She smiled tightly, then moved to give him an even tighter hug. "Jus' take care of her, ya hear me?" she said. "Like you promised."

"I will," he answered, unsurprised to see the tears in her eyes when she pulled away. He was a bit surprised to feel the tears in his own.

Almost as soon as she left, Pete and Tony came in. They all got dressed, then father and son left the Doctor to count the remaining minutes (by nanoseconds) alone.

At ten oh one and forty-six seconds, Melissa finally summoned the Doctor.

He waited on the dais with Reverend Simmonds, who, he was relieved to discover, was quite a personable person. He hardly noticed the further three minutes and five seconds which passed before the orchestra changed their music to indicate Tony's approach.

After Tony had taken his seat, Jackie appeared. She descended the staircase, reminding the Doctor of her parallel self at her not-quite-fortieth birthday party, all those years ago. She followed the path to the dais, taking up position opposite the Doctor.

At long last, the wedding march began. The Doctor could see Pete escorting someone in white along the upper level, until finally they turned the corner at the top of the staircase and he could see Rose.

His Rose. With a smile even broader than when he was running to her in that almost deserted street.

The smile was what he noticed first, although the dress wasn't far behind. It was stunning. Well, she was stunning in it.

He saw she'd forgone any veil, instead weaving white flowers into her hair. He was taken back to a time--just after their first visit here, actually--when they had shared a dance at the summer solstice, accidentally getting married in the process . . . .

"Eh-hem." Pete cleared his throat, gaining the Doctor's attention. He'd already kissed Rose on the cheek, and was now standing there, holding out his hand to the Doctor.

The Doctor shook his head, then Pete's hand, then took Rose's, helping her up the last step to stand before him. Pete walked around behind the Doctor, mirroring Jackie's position.

"Dearly beloved," the Reverend began.

--

Rose could barely hear the Reverend's words over the blood pounding in her ears. She was really here, standing in front of the Doctor--getting married!

She couldn't take her eyes off of him, mostly because she was enjoying how much he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her.

She had almost laughed on the staircase at his slightly open mouthed stare when he'd first seen her. And she'd seen the exact moment he'd recognized the way she had done her hair. His goldfish expression had turned into a wistful sort of smile. And then her Dad had shaken him out of his stupor.

Rose now stood on the dais, waiting for her cue from the Reverend, holding her bouquet. The Doctor's hands were clasped in front of him, but she could tell he was anxious to reach out for her hands. She decided she'd had enough of waiting, so at a convenient pause in the Reverend's remarks, Rose handed the flowers to her Mum, then held her hands out to the Doctor, all as if it had been rehearsed and was completely expected. He took them with a smile.

Almost soon enough, vows and rings were exchanged, and they were pronounced "man and wife". By "you may now", the Doctor had pulled Rose into his arms for their first married kiss. There didn't seem to be any indignant response to their eagerness. Rather, some amused laughter was followed by applause and a couple whistles.

When they finally broke apart, the Reverend announced, "May I present Mr. and Mrs. Smith."

Rose caught the Doctor's eye, and they burst out laughing.

The spattering of applause that had begun faded away, while they attempted to regain their composure. Rose spoke quietly to the Reverend, who then revised his announcement. "May I present, the Doctor and Rose."

There was a pause as the guests digested the titles, and then the applause broke out in earnest, led by Pete and Jackie.

The Doctor kissed Rose again, just for good measure, she assumed.

Rather than the orchestra, the DJ took over, playing a song Rose couldn't quite recognize at first over the clapping and cheers. However, she was at last able to make out an old _Hootie and the Blowfish_ tune, as the words "I've got a hand for you" sounded over the din. From the impish smile on the Doctor's face, she knew he'd arranged it. Her hypothesis was only confirmed when he reached his hand out to her just as "'Cause I wanna run with you" was sung.

He nodded towards the front doors, and that was all the prompting Rose needed. Hand in hand, careful of her large skirts, they ran from the dais and out through the doors.

The Doctor helped her into the waiting limo before any well-wishers could intercept them. "To the airport, my good man--pardon, woman," he said to the driver, before settling in the seat beside Rose.

He turned to face her as they made their getaway. "We got married," he said, grinning.

"We got married," she answered him.

He kissed her again, just a bit awkwardly due to the seatbelt across his torso.

"So," Rose asked, "are ya finally gonna tell me where we're goin'?"

The Doctor reached into the inside pocket of his tux, withdrawing an envelope. "I have here," he told her, "two first-class tickets to . . . Barcelona! The city, not the planet, mind you."

It was Rose's turn to kiss him.

"You sure you're gonna be alright on the jet?" she asked, remembering his concern over his first ride, followed by his "nap".

The Doctor shook his head. "We can take a jet on the way back," he said. "These tickets are for a luxury zeppelin. Nine hours of airborne sight-seeing and pampering for you, Mrs. Rose Smith!"

"'S that all?" Rose asked. "Just sight-seeing?" She ever-so-boldly fingered his bowtie.

"Well, we've got a cabin, too, if you're, you know, too tired for any of that other stuff," he offered, carefully fingering one of the white blossoms in her hair.

"I think I just might be completely knackered, Doctor Smith," she told him, leaning in to brush her lips against his.

--

The end.

The sequel's already in the works, and is entitled "Spoilers". Coming soon :)

And for those who are interested, I'm working with a bunch of other writers on a round-robin story entitled, "I Miss My Mind the Most". It's a Doctor Who humor/romance piece that'll hopefully last all through October. Look for it as authored by _OctoberProject_. Enjoy!


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